The Spy and the Soldier
by Charah
Summary: What if Bryce didn't steal the Intersect, and Chuck still gets it, only willingly as a decorated active service U.S. Army war hero? He's the assignment, she's the protector. But does this Chuck even need protection being equal in all ways? Canon related, but a canon AU that will only loosely be based on the series. 99% of the missions will be modified & adjusted or changed entirely
1. The Soldier Meets the Spy

**AN1** The premise of this story was first started by Chuckfan56 in a story called 'Chuck vs the Inevitability of Life'. I wasn't around when it was first published, but when I did join fanfiction in 2012, it was one of the first stories that I had read. In the original premise, Chuck was a Navy SEAL, and he had the Intersect uploaded. The story didn't get very far. I don't remember it making it past the first few weeks of the story when the author stopped it.

So I am writing this story in homage to a really cool story, and I do believe that fanfiction is worse off for the story not being around anymore, or completed if it was still around for that matter. I've not seen it on FF in nearly eight years now. However, the premise of the original story is the only similarity that it shares with this story that I am now writing. The premise being a special forces soldier gets the Intersect and he gets two agents to protect him. None of the rest of the story will be similar in any way; all that I am using is the opening paragraph (and even that is highly modified to adjust to the new surroundings in my story).

**AN2** Disclaimers: I do not own Chuck or any of the properties in this fiction, which I do not get paid a single penny (or cent) for.

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**The Spy and the Soldier**

**Chapter One, The Soldier Meets the Spy**

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**CIA Headquarters**

**Langley **

**Virginia**

**2008**

Captain Chuck Bartowski, of 1st Special Forces Operational Detachment-Delta (Delta Force/CAG), arrived by his personal vehicle outside of CIA Headquarters. The reason for his attendance on this particular day was because Chuck had been singled out and selected for a highly classified and covert assignment due to his astronomically high information retention skills in addition to his special forces background. Chuck had been approached by JSOC (Joint Special Operations Command) about potential reassignment to a covert NSA and CIA team for a top-secret and highly classified assignment. Chuck had been skeptical and reluctant, initially, because he would need to leave his unit. But his command had successfully convinced him that his pay would substantially increase, and they had argued that he was by far the best candidate for the job. Chuck's overall driving factor and motivation in accepting the assignment, however, was when JSOC had argued to him that agreeing to the new mission could save many American lives. Chuck's chain of command had appealed to him that his new assignment would protect the interests of the country he proudly served a lot more than he could by remaining as a Captain in _the_ Unit, even though they had told him that they would be sorry to see him leave for however long he would be seconded away from Delta Force.

Chuck's new assignment was neurology related. The representatives of the CIA and the NSA that had visited him a few weeks ago hadn't informed him of every single detail about the mission. But the gist of it was that after 9/11, the CIA and the NSA, along with other agencies, were instructed to play nice and to share their intelligence with each other. The agencies had then begun to collaborate, and they had been working in tandem on a top-secret project to mash and encode all of their data into a human mind to allow them to collaborate their information via a computer. They had put every scrap of data they had into the computer, known as the Intersect, and the Intersect saw patterns inside of the data that the agencies on their own could not see. In theory, this would allow the intelligence agencies to make the United States safer than it had ever been before.

Had Chuck had not had studied Computer Science and Electrical Engineering at Stanford, which he had graduated from with a Bachelor of Engineering in 2002, he would not have believed it possible. When JSOC and representatives from the CIA and NSA had arrived at his base to inform him of the assignment, he had initially thought it to be a grotesque fantasy; that was until the representatives had shared their information that they possessed on the Intersect, which had quickly blown Chuck's mind. And, after receiving the information, Chuck had quickly concluded that what the representatives had explained to him was very much a real possibility provided the people working on it knew what they were doing.

The new assignment would not last forever, either. JSOC had informed Chuck that the assignment would last for a period of up to three years, and he would then be replaced by other personnel taking on the duties instead of him. And as soon as Chuck's assignment was over, he planned to return to active service. Chuck's enlistment in the U.S. Army was due to expire in 2010, and he planned to re-enlist as soon as he entered the final year of his contract. He had already re-enlisted once, in 2006.

Chuck moved to depart his vehicle dressed in his service dress blues uniform with numerous medals and ribbons pinned to his dress. The most significant military distinction in place on his uniform, being that of a Distinguished Service Cross. In the U.S. Army, the Distinguished Service Cross was the second-highest military award that could be given to a soldier. The Distinguished Service Cross was only awarded to a member of the military if extreme bravery and courage were shown in service of the United States Armed Forces in combat. Chuck had earned his Distinguished Service Cross while serving with his Ranger battalion in Afghanistan in 2005. Chuck was also wearing his tan beret signifying his lineage to the 75th Ranger Regiment. The tan beret could only be worn in the U.S. Army by those assigned to the 75th Ranger Regiment, the Ranger Training Brigade, or those who had served with the regiment for at least one year and was actively serving within the U.S. Army Special Operations Command.

Chuck had enlisted into the U.S. Army within just a few weeks of his graduation. His drive and desire to do so had stemmed from an overwhelming patriotic sense of duty and requirement to serve his country after the devastating and dastardly September 11th attacks a year earlier. On that dreaded, horrid day on September 11th, 2001, Chuck swore he would enlist into the U.S. Military at his earliest opportunity, and he did do so, despite the strong objections of his sister, Eleanor Faye Bartowski. Ellie had attempted to talk him out of it, and she had spent several days urging him to spend his life using his incredibly gifted mind and to follow every dream he had ever had with his life instead. But how could he just sit back and not play his part, while so many others willingly signed up? After 9/11, volunteering to join the military and the CIA sharply increased for the first year. Re-enlistment numbers, like the rise in volunteers, sharply increased also. Chuck was just one of tens of thousands to obtain that patriotic duty that had been missing from him before 9/11 had occurred.

After signing up at the recruitment office and having requested a clause in his contract to be considered for Ranger school on completion of basic training, Chuck departed off to basic training, where Chuck first encountered his best friend and comrade, Morgan Grimes. Chuck and Morgan completed basic training together, and they quickly built up an incredible rapport with each other. Morgan had enlisted into the Army after graduating from college to impress his girlfriend, Anna Wu. It didn't work out very well at all, because she had left him almost immediately after he had signed up to be with a Benihana chef in Hawaii instead. But while Morgan and Anna's relationship faltered, Chuck and Morgan's friendship prospered. The two future officers and comrades then went onto Officer Candidate School together, where they would go on to complete it, and on completion, Chuck and Morgan were officially commissioned into the U.S. Army at the rank of Second Lieutenant. After OCS, then followed further Officer Infantry training, before the best friends had gone off to train to become Rangers together. Chuck had told Morgan of his intention to join the Rangers during basic training, and Morgan had quickly decided that he had wanted to follow his friend into the Rangers, and his determination and desire to do so earned him a spot together with Chuck at the Ranger Assessment and Selection Program. The two friends successfully had passed that latest part of their training together, and they had then went on to Airborne school which they had completed before finally, and after a long and gruelling year of training, the best friends had completed their training at Ranger school and they were awarded their coveted tan berets and they were posted to a Ranger battalion together. Throughout that entire long and challenging year, Chuck and Morgan had pushed each other every step of the way through all of the blood, sweat, and tears that came from the training, and on completing their training, their bond and togetherness they shared had been unbreakable ever since.

Over the next two years, Chuck, together with Morgan, had then served two deployments with the 75th Ranger Regiment and Chuck was subsequently promoted to First Lieutenant in 2005, with Morgan's promotion following soon after. Then came one final deployment with the Rangers for the two best friends, and in mid-2006, after nearly three years of being with the Rangers, Chuck had begun to explore the possibility of his greatest challenge yet, to become a member of _the _Unit. Morgan, precisely as he had done so years previously, decided he wanted to follow his best friend, and they had both attended a briefing course in the summer of 2006, and they then subsequently put forth their names for selection to 1st SFOD-D. Chuck and Morgan were subsequently invited to selection, and they had spent the next six months of their lives in the most challenging training that they had ever undergone together. If they hadn't have had their Ranger training prior, in addition to once more pulling each other through and out of hell together, they would have undoubtedly cracked and thrown in the towel. Still, they had passed, and they were subsequently posted to an operational sabre squadron inside of _the_ Unit in early 2007. Almost immediately after Chuck and Morgan's acceptance into _the_ Unit, Chuck was promoted to Captain, due to time served and also the excellence he had shown to his duty during his time in the Rangers. Chuck had then spent the following eighteen months on operational deployments with Delta Force until today.

Now standing at the entrance doors to CIA Headquarters, Chuck moved to enter inside, and he paced over to the reception area to confirm his attendance and to receive his visitor's badge.

O-o-O-o-O-o-O

Agent Sarah Walker arrived outside CIA Headquarters in her Porsche. Sarah had been approached for recruitment into the CIA from Burbank High School that she had attended while she and her father were in Burbank as he ran cons out of the area. Her present name was just an alias, of course, but she felt more attached to this name than any other name that she had ever used since she first took off with her dad to help him run his scams many years ago.

While at Burbank High, her father was arrested for his own protection after a scam went wrong. He had left her a hidden cache of money for such an emergency, and it was while she was recovering the cache that CIA Director Graham first approached her. He had taken her in after being impressed by how many aliases she had burnt through with her father over the years.

Sarah had returned to school to finish her final year, and several of the popular students cruelly mocked her as the jailbird's daughter because of her father's imprisonment. After graduating from school, she quickly became Director Graham's protege, and she spent the following years training to become a CIA agent while at Harvard University.

After graduating, Sarah's earliest assignment with the CIA was with the CAT (Clandestine Attack Team) Squad. The CAT squad was a team of female spies that included Sarah's good friend, Carina, who was now an agent with the DEA instead. The CAT team eventually broke up in 2003, when Sarah discovered a bug indicating one of the members, Zondra, was a traitor. Although an official government inquiry had cleared Zondra, the relationship of the CAT squad was no longer sustainable.

Sarah's CIA red test, which was a recruits' first kill in the CIA before being handed official agent status, came in 2005. Sarah, at the time, was not handed any background information about her target. Instead, she was handed just a name, a location, and Graham had given her the orders to assassinate her target. That worst moment in her life had really played on Sarah, and it had forever changed who she identified as ever since. Sarah had gone from being just a girl conning people with her dad, to an assassin of the United States government.

After her red test came Sarah's first partnership as a fully-fledged CIA agent with a CIA agent called Bryce Larkin in 2005. Their partnership had lasted for more than a year, and their professional relationship had developed into an intimate one until Sarah had returned to their hotel room one night, and she had found him in bed with another woman. And, on discovering that Bryce wasn't treating their relationship as an exclusive one, whereas she was, Sarah was undeniably hurt, and she had broken up with him because she didn't want to be partnered with him anymore. But no sooner than she had ended things with Bryce, another CIA agent had reached out to her, Kieran Ryker. Ryker had offered Sarah a new mission, and Sarah had used this mission as her opportunity to get away from Bryce Larkin. Ryker had assigned Sarah to retrieve a package, which later turned out to be a baby girl. Sarah had quickly discovered that Ryker was corrupt, and he was attempting to use the baby for his own sinister gains. And, once Sarah had returned to the United States, she had left the baby with her mother, who was unknown to the CIA due to Sarah's history of hiding her real alias with her father.

On completion of the assignment, Sarah had returned to CIA Headquarters, and Bryce was there waiting for her. He apologized unreservedly over what had happened when Sarah had discovered him sleeping with another woman in France. Bryce had begged her to return on assignment with him, stating how amazing they were as partners and that he would never do anything like that to her again. It had taken some serious persuasion from Bryce, but Sarah did return to him, and they continued their partnership traversing on from one CIA mission to the next until a month ago.

About a month ago, Sarah had realized that she had begun to fall for Bryce Larkin. Sarah also knew that he did not feel the same way towards her in any capacity. Bryce Larkin would always be focused entirely on his career in the CIA before a relationship with her. There had also been further women after Sarah had caught him the first time, but eventually, Sarah had begun to get used to Bryce's bullshit, and she had argued to herself that they did have their moments, and they still worked well together despite Bryce's infidelity towards her. It was only once Sarah had begun to realize that her feelings were becoming serious that she began to rock the boat in their partnership once more. Sarah had been told umpteen times during her training that spies don't fall in love. And Bryce Larkin was not in love with Sarah Walker. And, the fact that she was beginning to fall in love with him, and that it wasn't reciprocated deeply distressed and scared her, and she had decided that she needed to get away from him permanently and to be assigned elsewhere instead. Sarah had then subsequently reached out to Graham, and he had offered her a new assignment instead. CIA Director Graham had told Sarah that the assignment was to last up to three years and that she would be the only CIA representative on the mission, which was perfect for Sarah because she would no longer be in any further contact with Bryce. He would get over her; she was beyond convinced that within just hours of her leaving him, he would have already been in bed with another woman.

Getting out of her Porsche, Sarah headed to the entrance of CIA Headquarters. Entering inside the building, with her credentials already in hand, she walked over to the metal detectors, where she must surrender over her Smith & Wesson 5906 personal sidearm as no guns carried by anyone were allowed past the reception area in the facility. On arriving at the metal detectors, she paused, waiting as she observed as a tall male dressed in a formal army dress uniform appeared to be reluctant to surrender over his personal sidearm to the guard. Sarah glanced at the weapon in the soldier's hand, which appeared to be a Glock 19. She watched as he then with great reluctance handed over the pistol, and a smile formed on her face, as she'd had the same unwillingness to surrender her sidearm numerous times over the years.

"Don't worry. I have the same problem every time I come here also. I never want to give mine up," Sarah called out, and the soldier began to turn to face her.

And, once he was fully facing her, the soldier gave her a wide grin. "Heh. Yeah. It's like being given a present on Christmas Day by your parents, only for them to say that you can't have it anymore, and they try and forcibly take it away from you," he joked.

Sarah nodded. "Exactly," she replied, as she returned his warm glance.

"What are you carrying?" the soldier asked as he glanced at her pistol holster.

"Smith & Wesson 5906. It's my baby," Sarah laughed.

The soldier laughed softly, and she smiled at him. "Glock 19 here. Which is also my baby," he joked.

"I know. I recognized it when the guard was wrestling with you to surrender it," she replied.

His wide grin continued. "Ooh, good with guns, huh?" he teased.

Sarah nodded. "I have always preferred a gun to a Barbie doll," she joked.

The soldier chuckled again. "Nice, I like it. Same here."

It was Sarah's turn to laugh. "Obviously. I don't know many guys that like Barbie dolls. Especially soldiers," she chuckled.

"What's wrong with Barbie dolls?" the soldier replied with a warm grin.

Sarah shook her head in disbelief. "Wow, a _soldier_ that likes Barbie dolls? Now I really have seen it all," she said, humorously.

"I would appreciate it if you kept it between us. Or I would have to kill you," he retorted with his continued smile.

Sarah scoffed, as a wide smile took shape once more. "I'd like to see you try."

"You know, I recognize you from somewhere," the soldier declared to her.

Sarah shook her head. "We've not met. I would know," Sarah responded dismissively. _I would know because you're a handsome guy in that uniform you're wearing. And besides, I've not worked with a special forces soldier before, which is obviously what you are_

"It'll come to me in a minute," the soldier said.

Sarah began to get anxious as she watched the confusion play out on the soldier's face as he attempted to ascertain where he knew her from. But Sarah was convinced that they had not met before.

"I really don't think we've met," she protested once more.

"Jenny Burton!" he declared after a few seconds.

Sarah did an immediate double-take on hearing the soldier's declaration and of the name that she had used in High School.

_How does he know me? _

"How did you know that?" she asked in complete surprise, and her face filled up with the expressions that expressed that surprise.

"Chuck Bartowski, we went to school together at Burbank High," he informed her.

Sarah sunk her eyebrows into a frown as she queried his revelation, and she dug her mind back into that period of her past, and then it hit her. He was, indeed, correct. They had attended the same school together.

"Oh! You were in Junior Year when I was a Senior, right?" she asked with a loving smile.

He nodded. "Uh-huh," he replied as a wide smile formed on his face.

Sarah shook her head in complete amazement. "Wow, I'm surprised you remembered me. We didn't even talk that much with each other," she declared.

_Wow, he has changed a lot! He's so handsome in that uniform, and his muscle growth body-wide has likely increased a thousand percent since I last saw him ten years ago. He used to be so tall and lanky, but cute!_

Chuck nodded. "Yeah. My memory is excellent. Sometimes I can remember too much," he admitted.

"Clearly," she said, and they shared a warm smile once more.

Sarah then moved to hand over her Smith & Wesson, before Chuck and Sarah walked through the metal detectors together. On walking a short distance away from the guard and the metal detectors, Sarah spoke once more, "So, Chuck, what are you doing here today?"

"I can't tell you to be honest," he admitted with a sad smile, and she nodded in acceptance.

"What about you?" he then asked.

Sarah's lips creased into a sad smile of her own. "Me too."

It was Chuck's turn to nod. "Fair enough."

"In any case, you have certainly been busy with your life since we last saw each other ten years ago," Sarah declared.

Chuck nodded. "So have you, Jenny. The headquarters of the CIA is the last place I would have ever expected to find you," he admitted.

"Same for yourself!" Sarah quickly retorted.

They shared brief laughter together.

"You are the first person I've reconnected with from our school since leaving the school," Chuck informed her.

"Me too," she replied.

"A small world, huh?" Chuck asked.

She nodded. "Mm-hmm. A very small world, Chuck," she declared as she shook her head at the revelation that the cute guy a year younger than her at her school was now very likely a special forces soldier.

Chuck began to check his watch for a brief moment.

"Oh, hey, um, Jenny, do you happen to know the way to Briefing Room A? I have an appointment there."

Sarah's eyes almost popped out of their sockets because that was where her briefing also was. She suddenly became very curious as to who Chuck actually was and if he was going to be a part of the upcoming assignment together with her.

"Sure. That's also where I'm heading, actually," she informed him.

A look of shock appeared on Chuck's face. "Wow, no way!" he declared.

She nodded. "My thoughts exactly, Chuck!"

"I guess I'll follow you then," he stated.

"Sure," she replied as she began to walk in the direction of where the conference was to take place.

As Chuck and Sarah continued walking to the briefing room, they also continued engaging in conversation.

"Jenny, I'm still shocked that you carry a gun and that you're CIA." Chuck declared.

Sarah paused from walking as she turned to glance at Chuck, who had also stopped just behind her. "The same applies to you, Chuck. I'm shocked that the friendly nerd from school is now in the U.S. Military. I could ask you what outfit you're with, though I know you won't tell me, because if I had to guess what U.S. Army outfit you're with, then I would say you're special forces."

"Jenny, I can tell you what outfit I'm with. I'm with the 156th Logistics Company," Chuck replied with a straight face showing absolutely no signs of deception on his face. His face and the tone he had used had made him appear to be telling her the truth, even though Sarah knew he was lying, because you were not requested for a briefing in the CIA if you were with a logistical outfit! But the most concerning thing for Sarah was that Sarah's CIA training had taught her to be able to read anybody to perfection, and Chuck was not showing one single hint of deceit on his face, or in the tone he had used with her, so he had likely had similar training as her.

Sarah nodded. "See, my point exactly!" she retorted as the two acquaintances then continued on towards the briefing room of their upcoming assignment.

Having arrived outside the briefing room a few minutes later, Sarah and Chuck began to engage in a final conversation before entering the room.

"Well, Jenny. I guess we will become partners once we enter inside this room," Chuck declared with a warm smile.

Sarah returned his smile as she said, "I guess so."

Sarah then entered into the briefing room, and Chuck followed on behind her…

O-o-O-o-O-o-O

"Good afternoon. I am CIA Director Langston Graham, and let us begin with the introductions of why we are all here today," Director Graham paused, and Chuck watched as the Director glanced around the briefing table at a gathering of ten individuals. "Next to me is General Diane Beckman, and together, we will be in joint command of this upcoming assignment. The assignment, if Captain Bartowski agrees to it today, will involve the Captain downloading all of our secrets and information shared between our intelligence agencies into his brain via a computer known as the Intersect. Out of our list of options to collaborate after 9/11, we had chosen the Intersect as the tool that we could potentially use in our fight to keep the country safe. The initial versions of the Intersect had been created much earlier than 9/11, but only since 9/11, has a super-computer that is gigantic in size had been built here in D.C. The Captain, should he agree to the assignment, will attend the location of the computer, and he will have our shared intelligence database uploaded into his brain to be used at our disposal to protect and make safe the United States. I am sure you have questions about this, Captain Bartowski, and if anybody else has any also, then please ask away."

"How safe will this upload be for me?" Chuck asked as he glanced around the table at the Director, the General, and at all of the analysts present.

"First of all, thank you for your service, Captain Bartowski. Your record is exemplary, and you are a hero of this nation," General Beckman offered her praise to Chuck.

Chuck nodded at the superior officer's praise as he warmly responded, "Thank you, ma'am."

"And in answer to your question, we have been assured by the creators of the project that it is quite safe for upload," General Beckman declared.

"And you can attest to that also?" Chuck asked as his glance shifted to Director Graham.

"I would also like to echo my counterpart's remarks. Your record is exemplary. And yes, I can attest to the General's declaration. The CIA has also reached the conclusion that the Intersect is safe for upload to a human being," Director Graham informed Chuck, and Chuck nodded.

"But you've not uploaded it to anyone before?" Chuck asked.

"You are the first," Director Graham admitted.

"You don't have to go ahead with the upload. But you have been singled out for this assignment because your information retention skills amount to ninety-eight percent. You are by far the best candidate for the job," General Beckman declared.

Chuck took a moment to digest the words of the General and the Director.

"I want to do it. If you believe and you can tell me with one-hundred percent certainty that this can make our country a safer place to live in for our families and the civilians of this country and that I really am the best guy for the job then I feel like I have a strong sense of duty and obligation to take this assignment," Chuck declared.

"We do believe that," Director Graham retorted.

"Then I would like to proceed with the assignment," Chuck gave a verbal confirmation.

"Once more Captain Bartowski, you are a hero of this nation, and we are fortunate to have you in our service. What you have just agreed to is a noble and courageous act, and it is one that we will never forget," General Beckman declared with a strong feeling of respect towards the junior officer.

Chuck nodded at the General's bestowal towards him once more.

"The upload will take place in five days at a facility in Washington D.C. where we have built the Intersect computer. It is a process that will take place over at least several hours and you will be unconscious throughout the upload," Director Graham informed Chuck.

Chuck nodded. "That's fine."

"We will have a car sent to collect you from your base on the day of the upload. After the upload, Major Casey here and Agent Walker will immediately assume protective duties of you. You will all work as a team together as you act on any intelligence that comes into your possession," General Beckman stated as she pointed at Major Casey and Jenny.

"Do I need protection?" Chuck queried Beckman's statement because he was a Captain in Delta Force. He was adequately capable of protecting himself. He would need a team to go on missions, sure, but he didn't need a protector to watch over and to babysit him by tripping over his feet wherever he walked. Chuck could walk and stand on his own and he needed nobody to protect him.

"Captain Bartowski, this is an intelligence-funded operation, _not _a military-funded operation, so it's very much _our_ bag. You are here because you are undoubtedly the best guy for the job with your information retention skills primarily, and Agent Walker and Major Casey are here to protect the significant investment that we have made in the project. We aren't mollycoddling you or taking away your status as a seasoned Delta Force operator. We are more than sure you can handle yourself. While you are on assignment with us, you will be given temporary Agent status in both the NSA and the CIA, but having representatives from our agencies throughout the length of the assignment is a mandatory term and condition, and they are not negotiable," Director Graham stated with no room for negotiation in his tone.

Chuck nodded once more. "Very well."

"Great. Well, that is almost the end of the briefing. We will see you in five days at the location housing the Intersect computer," Director Graham said.

Chuck nodded, and General Beckman moved to pick up numerous files before she walked over to Agent Walker, Major Casey, and finally, to Chuck.

"Here is the full background that we have on Captain Bartowski. It contains his entire life, from the moment of his birth until today, including his time served in the Rangers and Delta Force. The Captain's command had highly classified this information, and we were only authorized to share it with you both once the Captain had agreed to the assignment. You should spend the next few days familiarizing yourself with him before he becomes your partner," General Beckman said to Major Casey and Agent Walker, and they both nodded.

The General then walked over to Chuck's location at the table, and she handed Chuck two files of his own.

"And here is the classified information concerning Agent Walker and Major Casey. Because of your Top Secret clearance level in the U.S. Military, you are entitled to view these files of your two new partners. I would strongly advise that you also familiarize yourself with your two new partners that you will be working with for the duration of the assignment," Beckman said.

"Ma'am," Chuck replied with a nod of the head.

And that was officially the end of the briefing. The conference personnel then began to depart. Chuck moved to stand up from his seat, and he began to head towards the exit. Having arrived at the doorway a few seconds later, Chuck walked up to his two new partners who were stood close by to each other.

"I'll see you in a few days, Captain Bartowski," Casey said.

Chuck nodded as he said, "I look forward to it, Major Casey," and he offered out his hand to the Major.

Casey nodded, and he moved to shake Chuck's hand.

"Same for you, Walker," Casey said.

Sarah nodded. "Casey," she replied.

Major Casey departed the room, and Chuck and Sarah followed suit after him.

"So, Captain Bartowski, huh?" Sarah said on them stopping outside the briefing room.

Grinning, Chuck replied, "Agent Walker, huh?"

Sarah began to smile

"So much for the 156th Logistics Company," she said humorously.

Chuck suppressed laughter, and he replied, "Sorry."

She held her smile. "Don't worry. I know you weren't allowed to tell me which unit you were with. I won't hold it against you. I guess it's more than your job's worth if you had disclosed what it is you actually do to me," she declared.

Chuck nodded, as he held his warm glance towards her. "Yeah, it is. But I have a question of my own."

"Sure?" Sarah asked.

"Agent Walker?" Chuck then asked his question.

"Yeah. Sarah Walker, that's my name," Sarah admitted.

"That's your cover name?" Chuck asked.

"Uh-huh," she replied.

"Ok, I'll have to get used to calling you Sarah then, which is strange, because I know you as Jenny," Chuck admitted.

Holding their warm gaze, Sarah admitted, "Chuck, I had a name before Jenny too."

Chuck winced. "Ouch. I was already interested, to begin with, but now I am extremely interested in looking at this file they have given me about you to find out why that was."

"I might steal it from you and burn it here and now so you can't see any of my past," Sarah said with a mischievous smile.

"I'd like to see you try and remove this grip that I have on your file, Agent Walker," Chuck said in a playful tone with a mischievous smile of his own.

"Don't push it or I will, Captain Bartowski," Sarah replied in the same tone, as they continued to hold their friendly glance.

"Well, as much as I would love to continue catching up with you after not seeing you for ten years, and the place that I have found you in, I sadly have a long drive back to my base, and I should probably depart," he declared with a faint smile.

"Chuck, that's fine. It was good to see you again. You have changed so much," she said.

"So have you," he replied.

"I'll walk you out," Sarah offered.

Chuck nodded. "Great."

Chuck and Sarah then began to walk back the way they had come from earlier in the afternoon.

"Which university did you attend, Chuck?" Sarah asked as the new partners continued their walk.

"Stanford. What about you?" Chuck asked.

"Harvard," Sarah replied. "What did you major in?"

"Computer Science and Electrical Engineering. How about you?"

"I took a Business Degree," she said.

"That's cool," Chuck responded, and he paused from walking, and Sarah joined him. "Oh Jenny, by the way, I know we didn't talk much at school, but I thought you were a nice girl. And I hated how most of the school picked on you because of your dad. That was really unfair and I never did that to you ever. I hope your dad is ok," he declared.

"Chuck, thank you. He's fine, and I know you didn't. You were probably the sweetest guy at the school," Sarah declared as they shared another warm smile.

"Jenny, thank you. That means a lot because you were probably the sweetest girl in the school, heh," he said.

"Chuck, my name never was Jenny Burton, it was just an alias I used with my dad," Sarah declared.

Chuck nodded. "I get the message. I can tell that you're uncomfortable with me calling you Jenny repeatedly. So you don't want to be called Jenny any more then?" he asked.

"I identify as Sarah more than any other name I have ever had," Sarah admitted.

"But you would say that, if you were attempting to hide your actual name," Chuck retorted jokingly.

Sarah nodded. "I would do that, yes, but I'm not."

Chuck nodded. "Fair enough, Sarah, it is then," he declared.

They continued their warm glance at each other as Sarah responded, "Thank you."

Chuck and Sarah then arrived back at the metal detectors once more, and they proceeded to collect their sidearms. On having retrieved their weapons, they began to depart the building together.

"Sarah, I hope they send you to pick me up on the day of the upload," he stated.

Sarah laughed as she teased, "I'm not your chauffeur."

Chuck shared the laughter with her before he replied, "According to them, you are."

"I'll have them send Casey for you instead," Sarah joked.

Chuck winced. "Ouch! Burbank High Students are supposed to stick together," he retorted.

The new partners shared a final smile before Sarah declared, "I'll see you in a few days then, Chuck."

"Indeed, you shall. I'm looking forward to working with you, Sarah."

"Me too," she replied with her held smile.

"Bye then," Chuck declared.

"Bye," Sarah replied, as they then separated from each other and walked back to their respective cars…

**End of Chapter**

* * *

**AN3 **Thoughts? Please leave me a review and let me know if you would like to share this story with me or not.

**AN4** Next Chapter: Chuck's final days before being seconded to the CIA and NSA Intersect assignment. I will also be showing Chuck and Sarah reading each other's files.

**AN5** United States Military personnel are not authorized to carry firearms when not on a mission. But the CIA does not operate in the United States either. Nor is any CIA employee a James Bond superspy like Sarah is. Nor is there a superspy role in the NSA. In the NSA in real life, it is an organization full of hackers and nerds and someone like Casey would never be in it. So this is just a slight fantasy on my behalf. But the canon universe of Chuck had plenty of that, so don't hold it against me for bending realism to suit my needs for dialogue and scenes when I see fit. I can promise it won't be even close to some of the events that occurred in canon such as Russian Spetsnaz dropping into the United States :)


	2. The Spy Starts Anew

**AN1 **Thank you for the initial reaction to the story. I hope you will enjoy this story as it plays out. I have plotted the story with the help of Tpsoftballdad, and this story has about six years' worth of content, spanning around eighty chapters. It's going to be a long one. So continued interaction will be vital for the story to see its completion whenever that will be.

* * *

**The Spy and the Soldier**

**Chapter Two, The Spy Starts Anew**

* * *

**Secure Government Building**

**Location of Intersect Computer**

**Washington D.C. **

**Four days until the upload**

"I hope we're ready for our operation to commence," General Beckman said to Director Graham as they stood alone together inside of the Intersect room where Chuck would upload the Intersect from in just a few days.

"We are, Diane. We have waited long enough, too long with all of the testings, and then when Orion went rogue on us after he constructed the first Cipher. This project has cost both of our agencies a lot of time and money," Director Graham complained.

General Beckman nodded in agreement. "A heck of a lot. But because we haven't uploaded it to anybody before, even we are unsure of the risks involved in the upload. Maybe we should have told him."

Director Graham shook his head. "No, we shouldn't have. Because then, Chuck would never have agreed to it, and we need him to make this project a reality and our country a safer place to live in."

"Langston, I'm not so sure. He has served his country with honor, and Captain Bartowski is an exemplary soldier. He may have uploaded it despite knowing the risks and potential damage it could cause him," General Beckman protested.

"Diane, we couldn't afford to take that chance and have him say no to the project. He is still serving his country with honor by agreeing to this. We did the right thing by not informing him of the risk. If anything does happen to him, then we will put forward his name for a bravery award and distinction in service of the government. His family and friends would probably accept it as a noble gesture, and we would then move on to find the next most compatible agent to upload the Intersect to."

"With his information retention ability of ninety-eight percent at Stanford, it was always destined for Chuck to upload the Intersect," General Beckman declared.

"I know. We almost recruited Chuck out of Stanford, but once we read his communique to his sister and to a U.S. Army recruiting office stating his intentions to join the military on graduation, we knew he would eventually make his way to us anyway—with a lot more training and expertise than what we could have given him. When Chuck got the patriotic urge to serve his country after 9/11, it was the best thing that could have happened to our country; otherwise, he may have been a forced asset kept in a bunker, like Laszlo instead."

"How are things working out with Laszlo?" General Beckman then asked.

"Since our last discussion about him?" Director Graham replied.

"Yes."

"He's refusing to cooperate with his handlers. We're growing very impatient, and we are contemplating bringing a female Agent in to see if we can control him that way instead."

"The things we must do to keep our country safe," General Beckman complained.

"Diane, it's not pretty, but we need the best people at our disposal to prevent another 9/11 from happening again," Director Graham argued.

"The President would close our agencies down if it happened again," General Beckman declared…

* * *

**Pope Field**

**Fort Bragg**

**North Carolina**

**United States**

Chuck came to his senses after sleeping in his on-base housing. Chuck was feeling very proud of himself this morning. His feel-good mood that he was experiencing was due to the upcoming assignment he had been selected for and had subsequently accepted. Chuck was and always would feel it a great honor to serve and protect the nation he loved so dearly in any way the country saw fit, so long as the order was just. Chuck wasn't naive; he knew that Beckman and Graham had probably withheld information from him at the briefing yesterday. There would have been no way of knowing definitively of the potential damage that could originate from Chuck absorbing a supercomputer into his brain if the NSA and CIA hadn't attempted it before. But once they had told him that he was the best guy for the job and that his actions would make his country a safer place to live in, he had a strong obligation to accept the assignment, no matter the danger or risk to himself, because that was what made the man who the man was. Chuck would always show a disregard for his safety to protect his friends, his comrades, and, most importantly, the innocent civilians of the world that he shared it with. Chuck very much enjoyed being alive, but if he were to fall in service of his country one day, then it would be a sacrifice and honor that he would gladly give, provided it had a purpose for him to do so.

Chuck would be spending most of today reading through the files of the new partners he would be working with on Project Intersect. Chuck was still on-duty with Delta Force, however, and he would continue to be until the day of the upload, and so his pager was required to be on hand at all times in anticipation of an active mission for his unit.

Chuck's best friend, Captain Morgan Grimes, lived next-door to him. Morgan would often make entry into Chuck's housing by lockpicking his way in without Chuck's knowledge of him doing so. The two officers called it the Morgan entry.

Chuck moved to get up out of bed, and he proceeded to change into his fitness wear for his morning run. Once Chuck was ready, he departed his housing, and he walked the short distance to Morgan's accommodation. It was 07:00, and the two officers and best friends would always leave for a morning run at this time. Arriving outside Morgan's door, Chuck knocked on the door. He then proceeded to wait a few seconds, until Morgan opened the door dressed in his fitness attire also.

"Morning, Chuck," Morgan greeted him, warmly.

"Hey, buddy," Chuck replied as he sported his best friend a loving grin.

Chuck and Morgan then began their run together around a small portion of Fort Bragg that housed more than fifty thousand active-duty personnel, and two hundred and sixty thousand people in total; it was the largest military base in the entire world.

"Chuck, you're breaking my heart in leaving me, man. We've been together since basic and we've been through so much hell together and now you're leaving me alone," Morgan declared in a depressive tone.

Chuck glanced at his best friend and sported him a sympathetic smile as they continued their physical activity. "I'm truly sorry, Morgan. You know that I'll miss you. I don't want to leave, but I have to do this. If I can make the country a safer place to live in, then I have to do it, man. You know that. You'd do it yourself if they had approached you with the assignment instead," he protested.

Morgan nodded as they continued their jog. "You're right. I guess I would. But I wish I could come with you."

Chuck laughed. "Buddy, it would probably bore you to death. You'd miss being part of all of this," Chuck paused, and to emphasize his point, he extended his arms out to gesture at the base that they were standing on before adding in, "I know I'll miss it."

"We're brothers, Chuck," Morgan then declared.

Chuck nodded, and he patted his best friend endearingly on the shoulder. "Rangers Lead the Way!" he shouted in an attempt to raise his best friend's spirits.

It seemed to do the trick, as Morgan shouted back, "All The Way!" and the best friends and soldiers continued their jog for another twenty minutes until arriving back outside of their housing.

"Morgan, I'll just freshen up and change, and then we'll head for breakfast," Chuck stated.

Morgan nodded. "Ok, Chuck, same here."

Chuck then moved to enter into his housing, and he headed straight to shower. Having finished freshening himself up a short while later, he changed into his Army Combat Uniform, and he departed his housing once more. Morgan quickly linked up with him, and they headed to a breakfast restaurant just a few minutes walking from their quarters. On arrival, they were seated, and they ordered breakfast together.

"So, Chuck, are you able to tell me much about your new assignment?" Morgan asked from where the best friends were sat.

Chuck shook his head sympathetically. "I can't tell you much, buddy. Most of it is highly classified, and I like my service record being intact, and it wouldn't be for very long if I began spilling classified information to you."

Morgan nodded his head as his lips creased in sadness. After a short moment, he said, "Fair enough. What about your partners?"

Chuck laughed. "I went to school with one of them," he declared.

"No way!" Morgan declared in amazement.

Chuck nodded with a grin.

"Give me all of the gossip. Male or female?" Morgan asked.

"Female," Chuck responded.

"Attractive?" Morgan asked.

"Extremely," Chuck declared instantly.

Morgan winced approvingly. "Now, when you say extremely, are we talking Natalie Portman levels?" he asked.

Chuck shook his head. "No, we're talking Vicki Vale levels," he declared.

Morgan audibly winced. "Wow, now I'm not sure so much, Chuck! Maybe I wouldn't be so bored on this assignment as just muscle or miss this life we're living right now too much," he admitted.

Chuck laughed at his best friend's humor.

"Did you both have a thing at school together?" Morgan asked.

Chuck shook his head. "Not really. She is a year older than me."

Morgan nodded. "But what about now?"

"Morgan, I didn't take the assignment for romance," Chuck declared humorously.

"There's no reason why you can't have both at the same time, Chuck. You've had plenty of women since Jill. You're very confident, and you could pull this woman too if you tried hard enough, even if she is a supermodel if she looks how you're describing her to me," Morgan stated.

Chuck shook his head. "Now, why'd you have to go and bring Jill up? I don't remind you of Anna Wu!" he protested.

"Oh, yes, you do!" Morgan replied as he pointed his finger accusingly at Chuck.

Chuck was unable to curb his laughter as Morgan was quite correct. Chuck, indeed, had teased Morgan endlessly about Anna Wu. Even though he greatly despised the woman deep inside over how she had treated his best friend. Their winding up of each other was just part and parcel of them both being soldiers. Their banter shared was how they coped with the missions they went on.

* * *

**Washington D.C.**

Major John Casey opened the file of his new partner, Captain Chuck Bartowski. When Casey had first met the junior officer at Langley yesterday, the Captain had presented himself very well to Casey. He very much appeared to be a man of honor, and he proudly wore the uniform of his country, despite not needing to, because a Delta Force operator could wear whatever they chose to wear, including civilian attire if they so desired. So, Casey could very much respect that in a man.

Casey spent several minutes reading through his new teammate's civilian life prior to the military. All of Chuck's life was standard to Casey. Chuck had an extremely bright mind; he had taken an Engineering degree at Stanford, he had information retention ability of ninety-eight percent and he didn't have many people in his life except for a caring sister but he developed an urge to serve his country. If the truth was told, Casey couldn't wait to get to the most intriguing bit, and arguably the most relevant to the assignment, his teammate's military career.

Casey quickly read through all of the general information contained in a soldier's military file.

Rank; Captain. Pay grade; O-3. Date of Rank; February 15, 2007. Name; Charles Irving Bartowski. Date of Birth; September 18, 1981. Service conduct; Distinguished. Station; Ft Bragg, NC. Branch; U.S. Army. Unit; 1st Special Forces Operational Detachment-Delta.

Casey read through a little more of the standard military information, including Decorations, Medals, Badges, and Commendations, before he arrived at Citations. Among the numerous citations for his new partner, Casey opted to study three—the Captain's Soldier's Medal, Silver Star, and Distinguished Service Cross, in that order—of his new partner's citations.

**THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA**

The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress 2 July 1925, has awarded the **SOLDIER'S MEDAL **to

**Second Lieutenant Charles Bartowski**

3rd Ranger Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment

**FOR: HEROISM:** On January 11th, 2004, at 19:00 hours, while serving with his 3rd Ranger Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment, 2nd Lt. Bartowski, at significant risk to his own life, distinguished himself as he subdued an armed criminal that had already seriously wounded two civilians during an armed robbery at a grocery store in Columbus, Georgia. 2nd Lt. Bartowski entered the store and had quickly become alert of an active situation inside the store. 2nd Lt. Bartowski, having heard a loud commotion and numerous screams and cries of help crept into an advantageous position. Acting decisively and courageously, 2nd Lt. Bartowski waited for the opportune moment to strike, before charging at the enraged gunman and wrestling with him for the weapon. 2nd Lt. Bartowski successfully managed to disarm the criminal, and he subdued him by keeping him locked onto the floor of the store by using all of his body weight on top of him despite the criminal's attempts to break free until the police arrived. His actions that evening undoubtedly saved numerous lives as the armed criminal was committed to continuing his aggressive rampage, having already shot two innocent civilians. 2nd Lt. Bartowski's performance is in keeping with the finest traditions of military service and reflects great credit upon himself, the 75th Ranger Regiment, and the United States Army.

Casey grunted as he nodded his head, approvingly at the courageous actions of his new partner. He then began to read the second citation he had picked out.

**THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA**

This is to certify that

The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress July 9, 1918, has awarded

**THE SILVER STAR**

Presented To

**Captain Charles Bartowski**

United States Army

FOR

**GALLANTRY IN ACTION DURING COMBAT OPERATIONS AGAINST HOSTILE ENEMY FORCES**

On June 20th, 2007, Captain Bartowski participated in a hostage rescue mission with his unit in Khost Province, Afghanistan, against a determined Al-Qaeda faction that had taken four aid workers hostage. Captain Bartowski had fought his way through the cave to where the terrorists were holding hostages, and he breached into the room. Upon entering, Captain Bartowski immediately neutralized two terrorists inside of the room. With the vision granted to him from his night-vision goggles, he ascertained that a third terrorist was attempting to detonate an Improvised Explosive Device inside of the room. Captain Bartowski quickly charged at the terrorist and he spear tackled the terrorist onto the floor of the cave and managed to restrain him until a teammate neutralized him from where Captain Bartowski was pinning him in place. The heroic actions of Captain Bartowski saved the lives of four innocent aid workers, and his actions bring great credit upon himself, his unit, and the United States Army.

"Man, Bartowski has some balls! Guy's a freakin' hero," Casey said aloud before he continued on to read the final and most important citation of his new partner…

* * *

**Fort Bragg**

Chuck closed Casey's file after having spent around twenty minutes reading through it.

_I feel honored to have him as my new partner. Casey is a patriot, and if his file is accurate, which I don't doubt for one second, then he has served this country with as much distinction as anybody I have ever known. I'm looking forward to working with and being on the same team as him in the coming weeks, months and years_

Chuck then began to stretch his arms and shoulders from where he was sitting briefly, before closing the file of Major Casey, and he moved to take hold of the folder of his second partner, Sarah Walker.

To state that Chuck was highly anticipating reading the life of Sarah would be an understatement. Chuck had always liked Jenny at school. He never had the confidence to talk to her back then because she was a year older than him, and he wasn't that good with girls back then either, especially considering how attractive she was to him. Chuck had a massive crush on Jenny, now known as Sarah, at their school.

Taking in a breath of air, Chuck opened the file of his new partner. Having opened the file, his gaze instantly connected onto a picture of his new partner, and his breath caught at the sight of her.

"She's gorgeous," he declared aloud as he allowed himself to stare at the picture of the girl but now more appropriately, the women he knew at school for the next twenty seconds before he shook his brain to realign himself once more to study the rest of the first page of her file and not just of her picture.

Central Intelligence Agency. Confidential. CASE FILE SUBJECT:

Agent Name: Sarah Walker

Known Aliases: Katie O'Connell, Rebecca Franco, Jennifer Burton, Mrs. Anderson, Illana Truffaut.

D.O.B: May 10th, 1980

Gender: Female

Nationality: American

Height: 5'7"

Weight: 130lbs

Eye Colour: Blue

Hair Colour: Blonde

Relatives: Mother, unknown; father, Jack Burton.

Martial Status: Single

Languages: English, Polish, Russian, Spanish and German.

Licenses

– Firearms

– Vehicles

Specialist Fields

Firearms

Hand to Hand Combat

Agent Walker was born to Jack Burton and an unknown mother. Her father, Jack Burton, is a con artist, and Agent Walker's early life had consisted of life on the run with her father. They had burnt through numerous aliases together when she was found and recruited into the CIA in Burbank, Los Angeles using the pseudonym of 'Jenny Burton.'

Having completed reading the first page of Sarah's file, Chuck immediately turned over to the next page. Chuck was extremely engrossed in reading the information about his new partner, and he instantly began his reading of the second page.

Agent Walker's earliest assignment with the CIA came when she was part of a team of female spies called 'CAT Squad.' The CAT Squad, abbreviated for the Clandestine Attack Team, consisted of Sarah Walker, Carina Miller, Zondra Rizzo, and Amy Monroe.

The CAT Squad was a very successful unit for the US government. The team had succeeded in taking down many enemies of the government except for Augusto Gaez, who had managed to evade the group successfully.

However, the squad started to fall apart after a failed mission. The team had found a bug on one of Zondra's boots, and Agent Walker became convinced that Zondra was a traitor. Zondra, on the other hand, had believed that it was Sarah who planted it there. An official government inquiry cleared Zondra, but the team split up and had gone their separate ways.

"Wow, the CAT Squad sounds so cool!" Chuck declared with great interest as he paused from reading Sarah's file.

_I wonder who the real traitor was?_

Chuck then continued to read Sarah's file.

After Agent Walker had gone her own way, she had been assigned to the United States Secret Service, where she would be part of the detail for a year to provide her with the necessary protective detail training that she would need at times in the CIA.

On completion of her protective detail with the Secret Service, Sarah was assigned her first termination mission shortly after, which she completed and was then handed official Agent status in the CIA by the Director.

"A termination mission? Jenny Burton _is_ an assassin?" Chuck queried aloud as he gulped at the revelation. He then continued on with his reading of Sarah's file.

On being handed official Agent status, Agent Walker was given her first assignment on becoming an official agent, where she was partnered with a CIA Agent, Bryce Larkin.

"Sarah knew and was partnered with Bryce? That bastard who betrayed me at college is CIA?" Chuck asked aloud with strong distaste.

Chuck's hatred of Bryce Larkin went all the way back to when Chuck first began his degree at Stanford, and he had met Bryce Larkin on campus. They had got talking with each other about a video game called Zork. Chuck was building his own version of it, and Bryce had revealed that he was also a fan of the game. Bryce had then introduced Chuck to a girl called Jill Roberts. Bryce had told her that Jill shared many of the same interests as Chuck. Chuck and Jill quickly became very friendly, and they began to date, and Jill was Chuck's first real girlfriend and the love of his life. Everything was going well between them, or so Chuck had thought, because one day, on his third year into his four-year degree, Chuck visited Jill's dorm only to find her in bed and having sex with none other than Bryce Larkin. On discovering them together, Chuck had never felt angrier in his life, and he immediately stormed away from the dormitory heartbroken. He never spoke to either of them again, other than telling them to go to hell when they had both approached him individually. Chuck wasn't a fighter at the time, but if he was, then he would have punched Bryce's lights out. He certainly would have done so if he had been a Ranger and had discovered somebody in bed with his girlfriend, that's for sure...

What Chuck had witnessed that day, his best friend in bed, together with the love of his life, had destroyed all of his trust in other human beings. And while 9/11 was the biggest driving factor in Chuck joining the military, what Bryce and Jill did to him had also played a part in his signing up. Chuck knew that if he was ever going to be able to learn to trust people again, then he would need to find some kind of brotherhood and togetherness with other people, and the first thought that had come into his mind at the time was the military. And then 9/11 occurred, which had signed and sealed it, and Chuck had spent almost the next year getting himself in a fit enough shape. Chuck indeed, had been entirely correct because as soon as he had joined the military at the end of 2002, and had shipped off to basic, he met Morgan Grimes. Within just weeks of knowing Morgan, Chuck had forgotten all about Bryce Larkin and Jill Roberts, and he had learned to trust other people again, and the bond he still held with Morgan was the greatest friendship that he had ever had in his life. Looking back at his decision he had made many years ago, Chuck signing up to join the military was the best decision he had ever made, and also the proudest decision for that matter too.

Chuck then continued to study the information related to Sarah's partnership with Bryce for a few minutes more until he was alerted to the sound of movement out in his hallway inside his housing. He knew it was probably Morgan, but he became very alert until Morgan then appeared in view at the doorway a few seconds later.

Chuck shook his head with a wide grin. "Morgan, you need to stop lockpicking your way into my housing, buddy! You're going to give me a heart attack one day!" he declared.

"Heh," Morgan laughed.

Morgan then walked deeper into the bedroom that Chuck was in.

"Whatcha reading?" Morgan asked as he glanced at the file in Chuck's hand.

"I can't tell you," Chuck declared as he gazed at his best friend.

Morgan shook his head. "Oh, you're ditching us and becoming a spy already, huh?"

Chuck shook his head in disagreement. "Morgan, I'll be back as soon as the assignment is over, I promise. I love this unit. I love you. I love the guys, my place and home always will be here. I'm a soldier, and I always will be a soldier," Chuck declared.

Morgan nodded approvingly. "You had better be or else I'll come and join you and coerce you to come back to us. Heh," he chuckled.

Chuck joined the laughter. "Fair enough," he stated.

"And you'd better not give any of the juicy combat missions to DEVGRU either. Remember your friends over here at CAG!" Morgan demanded.

Chuck nodded. "Buddy, the squids, are getting nothing, it's all coming to Delta, I can assure you."

"Good man!" Morgan retorted as he pointed at Chuck, approvingly.

Chuck then closed the file of Sarah, and he placed the folder on top of John Casey's before he then stood up.

"You know what, Morgan? Let's go and do something together, buddy."

Morgan nodded, and the two officers and best friends departed Chuck's housing together.

* * *

**Washington D.C.**

Sarah was sitting on the bed in her hotel room when her phone began to ring. Glancing at the phone placed on the bed next to her, she ascertained that it was Bryce calling her. He had already called her numerous times in the weeks that had followed since she left him. Sarah instantly moved to place the phone into her hand. And, using her free hand, she then moved to block the call and subsequently his number so that he could not contact her any further.

Sarah then moved to throw the phone back onto the bed away from her, before she proceeded to breathe out a deep sigh to herself stemmed from Bryce Larkin trying to get into contact with her once more. Her glance then shifted onto the file of her new partner, Chuck. She moved to pick up his folder, and she placed it in front of her. Breathing out one final sigh, she closed the old chapter of her life, and she opened up the new chapter, as she opened up Chuck's file.

The first detail that Sarah noted in Chuck's file was a picture of him. He was wearing the same uniform that she had encountered him in yesterday, only he wasn't wearing his beret, and the picture was a very formal military one with a United States flag placed behind him. Chuck had short hair in the picture, his skin was suntanned, and he looked very masculine and attractive. That uniform he was wearing most certainly added to the attraction that she felt towards him.

Sarah paused from studying the picture of Chuck as she puffed out another long sigh.

_Stop it, Walker. I have only just moved on from one work colleague. I'm not going down that road and repeating the same mistakes all over again_

Having composed herself, Sarah spent the next few minutes reading the civilian section of Chuck's life that the CIA and NSA had inserted into his military file.

On completion of reading Chuck's civilian life, and having discovered that Chuck didn't have many people in his life except for his sister, which was identical to her, as she had only had her father around that time in her life until he had been taken away from her, she paused from reading to digest the information she had read.

_Why did Chuck join up? Why did he not choose to use his Bachelor of Engineering and his incredibly talented mind to become a billionaire instead? He certainly had the intelligence to do so. I must ask him his reason for joining the military when I see him_

Sarah then began to read Chuck's actual military file, and she became so engrossed in learning all about her new partner's valiant exploits in combat and in service of the United States for thirty minutes until landing at the Distinguished Service Cross citation. If the former citations that she had just previously read were anything to go by, then Sarah was pretty sure that she would feel incredibly touched by her new partner's heroism in service of his country.

**THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA**

To all who shall see these presents, greeting: This is to certify that the President of the United States authorized by an Act of Congress takes pleasure in awarding the

**DISTINGUISHED SERVICE CROSS **

TO

**First Lieutenant Charles Bartowski **

3rd Ranger Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment

FOR

**EXTRAORDINARY HEROISM IN ACTION AGAINST HOSTILE ENEMY FORCES**

On September 18, 2005, 1st Lt. Bartowski, while serving in Jalalabad, Afghanistan, with his Ranger platoon consisting of twenty men that he was commanding on a patrol of the area due to increased insurgent activity, came under an intense ambush by a ruthless and determined Taliban force consisting of twenty fighters in superior mountainous positions. 1st Lt. Bartowski, along with the rest of his soldiers, began to take fire from all sides. The Ranger platoon quickly found cover wherever it could find it, but two Rangers were exposed in the open ground and became singled out by the insurgent fire. From his position in cover, 1st Lt. Bartowski observed with great sadness as the two soldiers took several rounds in the exposed position they were in from the insurgent fighters surrounding their position. With no regard for his own safety, 1st Lt. Bartowski immediately abandoned his position of cover, and he dashed forward the thirty meters to his wounded soldiers while discharging his weapon in the direction of where muzzle fire had originated from. Having arrived at the position of his wounded comrades, and now coming under intense fire in the exposed position himself, 1st Lt. Bartowski managed to put one of the wounded Rangers under his arm. 1st Lt. Bartowski was at that time joined by his Second in Command, who had moved to place the second Ranger under his own arm when an RPG connected onto the ground near to the four Rangers causing them to fall to the ground. On getting his bearings back from the disorientation of the blast, 1st Lt. Bartowski immediately rose once more and placed the wounded Ranger under his arm once more, and while doing so, two rounds from an enemy combatant connected onto 1st Lt. Bartowski's left arm and shoulder. Grimacing through the intense pain of being shot, 1st Lt. Bartowski continued to evacuate his soldier to safety under intense fire the entire distance until reaching cover a minute later. Setting down his wounded soldier, he immediately screamed out, "MEDIC!" several times, until the medic of the team arrived. The medic instantly attempted to assess and to treat 1st Lt. Bartowski's injuries, but 1st Lt. Bartowski told the medic, "I'm fine! He's more hurt than me! Attend to him!" 1st Lt. Bartowski then immediately began to communicate with his command, and he successfully directed airstrikes onto insurgent positions that were fiercely engaging with his platoon. When the insurgents started to retreat sometime later after superior firepower having been directed by 1st Lt. Bartowski towards them, two medevacs were called in for three seriously wounded Rangers. The team medic had attempted to get 1st Lt. Bartowski to evacuate from the battlefield as he was in no further position to fight due to his serious injuries sustained, but 1st Lt. Bartowski had told his soldier, "I don't need to fight! I will coordinate air support and orchestrate the counter-attack!". With his wounded soldiers successfully evacuated from the field of battle, 1st Lt. Bartowski followed through on his intentions as he successfully led the counter-attack despite having been shot twice. 1st Lt. Bartowski's Ranger platoon, together with a Quick Reaction Force and airstrikes, successfully eliminated all twenty insurgents that had engaged the platoon. When 1st Lt. Bartowski finally did give consent to be evacuated from the battlefield for treatment of his serious injuries, it was more than three hours after having first been engaged. 1st Lt. Bartowski spent several days in the hospital before returning to operations with his unit to continue on with his mission. 1st Lt. Bartowski's extreme gallantry and heroic and determined leadership in service of his country exemplify the highest traditions of the United States military, and brings great credit upon himself, the 75th Ranger Regiment and the United States Army.

Sarah gasped, and her mouth opened wide on having finished reading the citation that had awarded Chuck his Distinguished Service Cross.

_Beckman was right. Chuck _is_ a hero of the nation. I now feel very honored to have been in his company, let alone to have talked with him again. He's changed so much since we were at school. But not in a bad way. In a very good way. But maybe I shouldn't be having these thoughts about him. I'm clearly not good at relationships for Bryce to have not been satisfied with me that he felt the need to bed other women for three years and who says Chuck would even want to have a relationship with me anyway even if I wanted to have one, which I don't_

Sarah was disturbed from her thoughts as she began to hear a noise at the door to her hotel room. She became instantly alert as she reached for where her sidearm was located. Acquiring it, she stood as she positioned herself behind the door in wait. About thirty seconds later, the door opened, and Sarah continued to remain paused when somebody began to enter into view. She immediately struck as she grabbed the intruder and she pushed them into the wall with one hand while her second hand was holding her pistol at the head of the intruder. Sarah then met her gaze with the intruder, and her mouth opened in shock.

"Carina!" Sarah declared as she shook her head at the stealthy actions of her friend.

"Hello, Walker," Carina replied with a loving smile.

"Couldn't you have just knocked?" Sarah asked as she returned Carina's smile.

"I could have, but where would the fun have been in that? Besides, I was hoping you would be in the shower or the bath," Carina declared.

"Carina, I don't swing that way," Sarah joked as she suppressed laughter.

Carina shared the laughter with Sarah for a long moment. "That was very witty, Walker. I'll give you that!" she retorted eventually on restoring her composure.

Sarah smiled as she let go of her grip on the only friend that she has. "So, why are you here? Let me guess; you're here to request me for some dangerous mission where I'll be shot at or stabbed?"

"Wrong. I'm here to see you, Walker," Carina declared with a loving smile.

Sarah shook her head in disbelief. "Yeah, right!" Sarah retorted as she laughed.

Carina continued her smile at her. "Truthfully. I heard about Bryce. I thought I'd come and check in on you before I head out to Afghanistan for assignment," she declared.

Sarah sunk her eyebrows into a frown in confusion. "You really came here just to see me with nothing else attached to your visit?" she asked.

Carina nodded. "Yeah, is that so hard to believe?" she then asked.

"Only a little," Sarah retorted, as she sported her best friend a loving smile.

Sarah and Carina then walked away from the hotel room door and towards the bed in the room.

Sarah then watched Carina's gaze connected onto Chuck's file.

"What's in the file?" Carina asked.

"None of your business," Sarah replied, and she quickly moved to pick up the file before Carina could get her hands on it.

"Tsk, tsk, you're no fun," Carina complained as she shook her head at Sarah.

"I still can't believe you only came to see me," Sarah declared, changing the topic with her mouth agape as she was still feeling the shock of Carina's unannounced visit.

"You're never going to let this go now, are you?" Carina asked as she rolled her eyes.

"No," Sarah replied with a loving smile.

"I'm sorry I did it now," Carina stated.

"I'm glad to see you, Carina," Sarah admitted as the two women held their gaze.

"Then let's go out to a club together," Carina suggested.

"I'm not sure," Sarah replied, apprehensively.

Carina moved to touch Sarah's arm. "Sarah, come on, I didn't come all this way to sit around and be boring."

"Where did you come from?" Sarah asked.

"Mexico. So throw on a dress and let's go party!" Carina demanded.

* * *

**Fort Bragg**

Chuck was still socializing with Morgan when their pagers both began to go off.

"Here we go!" Chuck exclaimed in excitement as he glanced at his pager.

"I hope you're ready for a mission, Chuck," Morgan stated.

"Of course I am! It's what I live for," Chuck declared with a wide grin.

"Can you even go on this mission with your reassignment in four days' time?" Morgan queried.

Chuck nodded. "Of course, I can. Well, if it takes three days or less. If it is only a short mission, then I'd like to see the CIA and NSA try and stop me from going on it," Chuck declared.

Morgan nodded approvingly. "That's what I like to hear!" he retorted as the best friends and comrades departed for the situation room.

* * *

**Washington D.C.**

Sarah had just arrived at a club in D.C. with Carina. It was the first time in months that she had let her hair down. Though Carina had better not do anything wild tonight because Sarah wasn't in the greatest of moods and she didn't want any of Carina Miller's party antics tonight.

"Carina, you had better not get us mixed up in anything crazy tonight," Sarah warned her friend.

Sarah then watched as a mischievous smile formed on her friend's face.

_I'm suddenly sorry I came out with her after seeing that smile. I know that look!_

"Live a little, Walker," Carina encouraged Sarah in a daring tone.

"Carina, I'm serious. I'm not in the best of moods right now," Sarah admitted, reservedly.

"Because of Bryce, right?" Carina asked with a warm smile.

"Carina..." Sarah protested.

"Sarah, come on, the guy was an asshole in how he treated you, but not all men are like that. You could have anyone present in this club tonight and then some," Carina stated.

"I don't want anyone in this club. I don't want anyone right now, in fact. Bryce hurt me," Sarah admitted as her gaze lowered to the floor in sadness.

Carina smiled at her friend. "Sarah, you'll find someone else. And that next person won't hurt you as that loser did," she said, reassuringly.

"I'm not sure," Sarah argued back.

"Sarah, come on, you're too gorgeous to stay single," Carina stated with her continued smile towards her only friend. "What about your new assignment? That's what the file was about, right? Are there any guys on the mission that you like?"

Sarah didn't respond, but she gave her best friend a telling look, which indicated that there was indeed somebody on her new assignment that she liked. A one certain Chuck Bartowski.

"See! What did I tell you?" Carina replied with renewed hope.

"Carina, I'm not focused on men right now. I don't want to make the same mistakes all over again by sleeping with the guys I work with. I just want to get on with my new job," Sarah stated as she puffed out a depressive sigh.

Carina, sensing that she couldn't coerce her friend into finding a new relationship at this exact moment, let the topic slide, and the best friends began their night together.

End of Chapter

* * *

**AN2** Well then! That was a lot to digest. If you could be so kind as to leave a review, that would be great. Reviews do equal fast chapters. They also provide me with the infinite motivation to continue on.

**AN3** Next Chapter: Chuck goes on his mission with Delta Force. And Beckman and Graham aren't going to be very happy at all about it!


	3. The Soldier vs the Rebels

**AN1 **Remember that part in the first chapter when I said to allow me some fantasy in this story when necessary? That comes into play this chapter :) When I did my research and planning into 1st SFOD-D prior to publishing this story, military rank was one of the first things that I had looked at. I read through numerous articles that confirmed that Delta Force recruits O-3 personnel (Captains). However, the lowest detail commanded by an officer is a troop. And that command is given to O-4 (Majors). And teams inside of that troop are led by Master Sergeants or Sergeant Majors. I have done extensive research into Delta Force, and I cannot find any role for Captains anywhere despite them being recruited into the outfit. And, because I want to have Chuck involved in all combat in this story regardless of everything I just said, this is where the fantasy comes into play. I guess the writers did it in canon, too, because Casey is a fighting officer in canon, and I decided that I want Chuck to be a fighting officer also. And so, instead of a Staff Sergeant or Sergeant Major leading the two teams inside of a troop in this story, it's two Captains instead (Chuck and Morgan). I have relegated the role of the Staff Sergeant or Sergeant Major to Second in Command of the team.

* * *

**The Spy and the Soldier**

**Chapter Three, The Soldier vs. the Rebels**

* * *

**Pope Field**

**Fort Bragg**

**United States**

Chuck arrived outside of a situation room on Fort Bragg that was exclusive to 1st SFOD-D personnel. Entering inside the room along with Morgan, the officers, and team leaders, walked over to the commanding officer of their troop, Major Patrick Moore, who was facing away from the two junior officers.

"What do we have, Major?" Chuck asked his CO.

Major Moore averted his glance from a file held in his hand, and he began to turn until he was now facing Chuck and Morgan.

"A little hostage rescue for both of your teams in the tropical rainforests of Colombia, if you are up for it, Captain Bartowski, before your reassignment?" Major Moore asked as he rotated his glance between the two subordinates of his troop.

Chuck nodded at his commanding officer. "Of course. For the record, it saddens me greatly to have to leave the team, but I feel duty-bound to do so," he stated.

Major Moore nodded. "Oh, you needn't explain yourself to me, Chuck. Everyone in this outfit knows the value that you bring to _the_ Unit, and every serving member of this outfit will certainly feel your loss."

"Amen," Morgan quickly said in sharp agreement with his CO's praise towards his best friend.

"Thank you, sir. I'll be back as soon as the assignment is over, and Delta will have the first pick of any of the missions where a special forces team will be required," Chuck stated unequivocally.

The Major nodded and suppressed laughter, approvingly. "I'm glad to hear it! The three of us should catch up before you leave us, Chuck."

Chuck smiled at his CO. "I'd like that, sir," he declared.

"Me too," Morgan retorted.

Major Moore then put his game face back on. "Now, about the mission, five days ago, this CIA Agent, Zondra Rizzo," Major Moore paused for the briefest of seconds, as he began pointing at a picture in the file he was holding and Chuck glanced at the location of where his CO was pointing.

The name of the Agent, Zondra Rizzo, was in Sarah's file that Chuck had read through earlier in the day. She was a member of the infamous CAT Squad, so to state that Chuck became excited for this mission would be an understatement of the highest order.

The Major continued, "was taken captive while on assignment by FARC (Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia) rebels around one-hundred miles south of Bogota. Thankfully, a civilian loyal to the government of Colombia had witnessed the abduction, and at great risk to himself, had followed the rebels and Zondra Rizzo as far as he possibly could for around ninety minutes by road until it became too risky for him to continue on further. Thankfully, his trailing of the rebels for as far as he was able has allowed us to get a fix onto a rebel camp around twenty miles away from where the civilian abandoned the pursuit. We believe it's the location of where they are keeping Zondra. From satellite imagery, we have a clear layout of the camp, but we have been unable to confirm with extreme certainty as to whether Zondra is actually present at the camp or not. If she is not, then all we can hope is that you are able to obtain intelligence at the camp that could lead you to her actual location. So, questions?"

"Where's our insertion?" Morgan asked.

"Two insertions. On arrival at Tolemaida Air Base, 100km South-West of Bogota, I will set up base inside the C-130 on the runway, and you will board with your teams onto the waiting Black Hawks that the Night Stalkers (160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment) have already pre-deployed to the base in anticipation of our arrival. The rebel camp is around 250km away from Tolemaida. Now, we have to anticipate possible spotters at the Air Base. We don't know if anybody loyal to FARC will announce our presence when we land at the base, so you'll have to move fast. You will insert 8km away from the rebel camp, and you will tab the rest of the distance on foot. Alpha will approach from the North, while Bravo from the West. On your approach to the camp, you must also expect that they may know that you're coming, so don't walk yourselves into an ambush and be sure to take the appropriate steps to keep your teams safe," the Major stressed.

Chuck and Morgan both nodded.

"What about secondary hostages? What if Zondra is or isn't there, but another hostage or several other hostages are?" Chuck asked.

"Any secondary hostages at the camp, return them to Tolemaida, and we'll leave any non-Americans or foreign nationals for the Colombians to sort out themselves."

Morgan and Chuck nodded once more.

"I'll now leave you to gear up and inform your NCOs (Non-Commissioned Officers) of your mission objective."

"And I'll leave you to brief the CIA and the NSA of the operation that you're sending me on," Chuck joked, which earned him laughter from Morgan and the Major.

"Crafty, huh?" Major Moore replied with a shake of the head.

"I predict they'll blow a gasket when they find out. They both seemed to be that kind of way at the briefing yesterday," Chuck stated with a wide grin.

"Knowing the CIA, I think that's exactly what they'll do," Morgan declared in total agreement.

"How about I brief the Sergeant Major, and you inform the CIA and NSA of your mission instead?" Major Moore suggested tongue-in-cheek.

"No thanks," Chuck replied with a chuckle.

"I could pull rank," the Major stated.

Chuck nodded. "You could, but I know you won't," Chuck declared, causing the three officers to share laughter.

"Yeah, he definitely won't," Morgan chimed in.

"I'm not so sure I want to catch up with you anymore, Chuck," Major Moore declared on the laughter between the three settling down.

"Heh," Chuck laughed for a brief moment before restoring his composure and his professional attitude. "Will that be all, sir?"

"Yes, Captain. I'll see you both on the C-130 once the team is briefed and geared up," the Major finished.

Chuck and Morgan nodded a final time before they turned and departed away from their commanding officer, and the best friends went their separate ways as they each sought out their Second in Commands.

Chuck found his Second in Command, Sergeant Major Bob Eastwood, a few minutes later.

"What's the objective, sir?" Sergeant Major Bob Eastwood asked his officer and team leader.

"Hostage rescue in the rainforests of Colombia. FARC rebels nabbed a CIA Agent a few days ago. A good Samaritan followed the kidnapping for long enough, which has allowed us to get a fix onto a rebel camp. We don't have stonewall proof that she is being held there, but we have pretty high confidence that she will likely be there, or at the very least, intelligence that could lead us to her actual location," Chuck informed his 2IC.

"Where are we landing?" the twenty-year army veteran asked.

"Tolemaida. We'll then hightail the 250km in Black Hawks just in incase FARC has anyone loyal to them at the base and announces our presence. We will then insert 8km away from the camp and tab the remainder of the distance to the camp from the North and West. Alpha will approach from the North, and Bravo from the West," Chuck informed his senior NCO.

"What's the estimated fighter count at the camp?" the Sergeant Major asked.

"The Major hasn't briefed me on that as yet. We'll probably find out in the air," Chuck informed him.

"From previous experiences, there are usually around twenty to thirty guerrilla fighters in the camp," Sergeant Major Eastwood declared.

Chuck nodded at his 2IC's estimation. "Well, once my secondment begins in a few days, you'll be becoming team leader again, Sergeant Major," Chuck then declared.

Sergeant Major Eastwood nodded. "I was before you came, sir."

Chuck smiled at his senior NCO. "Will you be glad to get rid of me then?" he asked.

"Yes and no," the Sergeant Major laughed, which Chuck shared with him. "I'll be glad to lead my own team again, sure. But not at the expense of you leaving the unit. The guys have told me to relay to you that they're all going to miss you. You've looked out for us since your first day in the outfit eighteen months ago."

Chuck continued to hold his smile towards his 2IC. "It's been an honor to serve and lead you all. And I'll be back," Chuck declared with conviction.

"You'll probably be promoted to Major the next time you return to active status in CAG," the Sgt. Major stated.

Chuck nodded. "And, you'll probably be retired."

Sergeant Major Eastwood laughed. "They'll have to throw me out, sir. I won't go willingly," he declared.

Chuck laughed. "The Army will be losing a good soldier the day you retire, Bob," he stated with a strong feeling of respect for the veteran Sgt. Maj.

Sergeant Major Eastwood smiled. "Thank you, sir."

"I'll see you on the plane, Bob," Chuck then stated.

The Sergeant Major nodded.

* * *

**Washington D.C.**

CIA Director Langston Graham was seated in his office at his desk after another busy day of planning for the upcoming Project Intersect when the landline resting on his desk began to ring. The Director moved to pick up the receiver before stating into the device, "Director Graham."

"Sir, we have Major Moore from Delta Force on the line for you. He's come through JSOC and has requested a conference with you," Lizzie Shafai, the Director's aide, stated.

"Very well, Lizzie. Put him through," Director Graham replied.

Director Graham then paused in wait for a short moment until he heard activity. "Director Graham," he repeated once more.

"Good evening, Director. I'm Major Moore, here at CAG," Major Moore stated.

"Yes, I was made aware by my aid. What is the purpose of the call?" Director Graham inquired.

"I'm just phoning as a courtesy regarding Captain Bartowski. We have been fed live intelligence as to the location of a captured CIA Agent in Colombia, and the green light has been given for our unit to intervene and to attempt a rescue. Captain Bartowski is preparing to deploy on the assignment with his team,"

"HE IS WHAT?!" Director Graham blasted out and interrupted the Major in such a loud burst of decibels that it almost caused him to have a heart attack, and he flew up off his desk from where he was sitting as he rose to stand.

"I need to speak to him immediately!" Director Graham demanded as he began to fill up with rage on being informed that his Intersect candidate was being deployed on a live operation just days before the Director's far more critical operation was to commence.

"The Captain is unavailable. He's busy preparing for the operation. This is a courtesy call, nothing more," Major Moore replied.

Director Graham clenched his fist from where he stood. "I demand to speak to him this instant!" Director Graham demanded once more.

"Not going to happen. You have no command or oversight of our unit," Major Moore stated.

Director Graham clenched his teeth to control his building anger. "I'll go up and over your head!" Graham blazed out in defiance.

"Feel free. Go right on up to the Secretary of Defense for all I care. He'll tell you the same thing I just did. Actually, I don't think I like your tone, Director. She's one of your Agents. I at least thought you'd be happy about that."

"She knew the risks. She got caught, it's her own fault! My operation with Captain Bartowski is paramount to national security! I demand you remove him from this operation at once!" the Director commanded.

"He still belongs to JSOC for three days. So, no can do. I need my best men on the operation, and the Captain is the finest operator in the outfit. Now, as we're just going around in circles, if there's nothing else you have to add, then I will leave you to inform General Beckman of the development. Have a good evening," Major Moore said as he then terminated the call.

"DAMN HIM!" Director Graham cursed as he slammed his fist into his desk in immense anger at the insubordination of a petty Major and of Chuck for going along with it as the Director's operation became thrown into the air and it was now reliant on Chuck returning from this operation safely before it could even commence.

Director Graham then moved to pace around his office for a long moment as he planned out his response to this insubordination.

"Soldier boy wants to run off and play the hero, does he?! That will change when he's my asset!" Director Graham cursed as he walked back over to his desk and picked up his phone before pressing a button to be connected to his aid, Lizzie, out in the hallway.

Lizzie quickly answered the call. "GET ME GENERAL BECKMAN!" the Director snapped, before slamming down the phone receiver back in place once more…

* * *

**Pope Field**

**Fort Bragg**

Chuck was now geared up and had just arrived on the runway of Pope Field in close proximity to the C-130 Hercules that the troop of Delta Force would be using to ferry them to their mission. Alpha and Bravo teams were assembled, and they were going through final inventory checks before boarding onto the aircraft. The flight to Tolemaida Air Base would take five and a half hours to complete.

"Wow, what an earful I just got from your new boss, Chuck. You're in for it when we get back," Major Moore declared as he audibly winced and he shook his head in shock.

"Which boss?" Chuck asked as he paused from his gear checks to glance at his CO instead.

"Director Graham," the Major declared.

"How did he take it?" Chuck asked.

"Not very well at all. I even told him that I would leave him to inform the General! One earful was more than enough for me!" Major Moore joked.

Chuck began to laugh and was quickly joined by several operators who had also heard the CO's remarks.

"Well, let us go and bring back this CIA Agent then, shall we?" the Major declared as he glanced around Alpha and Bravo teams.

Every operator began to nod in sync as Chuck, and the rest of the troop began boarding onto the C-130.

* * *

**Washington D.C.**

"Why did you stay with Bryce for so long, Sarah?" Carina asked from where she was seated with Sarah at the bar of the club they were catching up at.

Sarah puffed out a long sigh from her friend's continued attempts to talk about Sarah's love-life that she just wanted to move on from and to begin her new assignment instead. "Carina, Bryce wasn't perfect, but he was the only person I had. I didn't want to be alone, so something, anything was better than nothing," she declared.

"Sarah, you could have ditched him, and suitors would have been lining up a mile to vie to replace him," Carina argued.

"Carina, it's too late for what if I did this or what if I did that. Bryce is in the past now. I don't want to keep talking about him, so can we drop it? Because if you don't, then I am going to walk out because I am sick of talking about him," Sarah warned as she threatened to stand up there and then.

"Sarah, I'm sorry. I am just trying to help," Carina said with a sincere smile.

"Carina, you can help me by changing the topic. I didn't come here to talk about Bryce all night. To be honest with you, I am sick of hearing his name. I am trying my best to move on from him, so please stop mentioning him to me because you're not helping me right now. Ok?" Sarah asked.

Carina nodded. "Ok."

Sarah smiled at her friend. "Thank you."

"So, how long has it been since we last saw each other?" Carina asked.

Sarah took a moment to ponder the question. "Six months, I think?"

"Yes, you're right.

* * *

**Gulf of Mexico**

**On-board C-130 Hercules**

**Halfway to Tolemaida**

"In the time since we departed Ft. Bragg, satellite imagery has been able to obtain a clearer view of the camp. There are around twenty-five fighters at the location. We still do not have a clear indicator of hostages present at the camp, though," Major Moore revealed.

"What are our rules of engagement?" Sgt. Major Eastwood asked.

"Standard protocols, anyone with a weapon, clear to engage," the Major stated.

"Do you really think we'll be spotted, sir?" Staff Sergeant Ken Williams, one of Morgan's team members, asked.

Most of the Delta Force operators who had heard the question all began to nod.

"It's highly likely. They usually have spotters and inside men at all of the major bases. It's also unlikely that they'll know exactly why we will be there. So even though there's a high chance of them spotting us, they won't know the purpose of our visit," Major Moore declared.

Most of the Delta Force operators nodded in agreement with their commanding officer's assessment of the situation once more.

**Two hours later**

The highly elite Delta Force unit had just touched down on the runway of Tolemaida Air Force base, and the tail of the aircraft began to open as Chuck, and the rest of the team began to depart from the plane while Major Moore and two of his aids remained behind inside of the Hercules to set up base and command of the operation. Having finished departing, the two teams hastily made their way towards four waiting Black Hawk helicopters provided to them by 160th SOAR Night Stalkers. Two of the Black Hawks would be used for transportation, and two would be used for overwatch protection at the two insertion points and subsequent extraction rendezvous for the highly specialized unit.

"There sure are a lot of eyes on us right now," Sergeant Will Jackson, an Alpha Team member, declared as he scanned his glance around the airfield.

"Indeed there are," Chuck agreed with his team member as he shifted his gaze around a gathering of Colombian soldiers at the airfield as the two teams continued to make their way to the waiting Black Hawks.

"I wonder which one of them is the spotter?" Sergeant Neil Riley, a Bravo Team operator, asked.

"It could be any of them," Morgan replied as he trained his gaze at the gathering of Colombians.

Most of the troop nodded as they continued on.

Alpha and Bravo teams arrived at their transportation a minute later. JSOC had already briefed 160th SOAR before Delta Force had landed that the unit was expected imminently. They were also briefed on what the operation would entail many hours ago. Chuck, along with the rest of the operators, then moved to board onto their transportation.

"Oh, well, now look who we have here! It's you lot again!" Major Phillip Rivers, one of the Night Stalker pilots, declared on connecting his gaze onto Chuck and his team.

Chuck and the rest of his team laughed as they boarded onto the helicopter. "How have you been, Major?" Chuck asked one of his close acquaintances. Chuck had encountered the Army Major numerous times on operations over the years, including during his time with the 75th Ranger Regiment.

"I can't complain, Chuck," the Major replied with a warm gaze.

"Can't or won't?" Chuck laughed as he continued to gaze at the Night Stalker from where he stood.

"You know me too well, Captain. How about yourself?" the Major asked.

Chuck smiled at the experienced pilot. "Fine and dandy," he declared.

"Great. You guys ready to bring this American back home safely then?" the Major then asked.

Chuck nodded from where he continued to remain standing on the hawk. "Let's rock and roll," Chuck declared, and the Night Stalker nodded.

Chuck then moved to take a seat in the helicopter, and the four American gunships quickly ascended into the air as the second phase of their mission began.

**A short while later**

The American unit was now well on their way to tonight's hostage rescue mission when the commanding officer came on air, "Another satellite has made a pass over the camp. We have managed to confirm that there are, in fact, hostages at the camp. It is still unknown as to whether the primary objective is at the location, though."

"Are we expecting any further pass over before we arrive at the objective?" Chuck asked.

"It will be touch and go. Act and prepare as if this will be the final pass over. The information will be being fed to your PDA's as we speak," Major Moore responded.

"Affirmative."

* * *

**03:00 hours**

The third and final phase of Delta Force's mission had now begun, as Alpha Team had just touched down at their insertion point, 8km north of the FARC guerrilla camp. The helicopter that had inserted Chuck's team onto the ground immediately ascended into the air once more.

"Alpha Team on the ground. Securing our position in case the helos have compromised our insertion point," Chuck reported into comms as he adjusted his Night Vision Goggles into position from where they were formerly hanging on his helmet.

"Affirmative," Major Moore responded.

Chuck and the rest of his team quickly began to fan out to reinforce and secure their position for several minutes in case of a rebel attack.

"Bravo Team on the ground. Setting up a defensive position at the insertion point," Morgan then declared into the communication channel.

"Copy that," Major Moore responded.

After a few minutes of waiting in a defensive position, and with no attack on their position materializing, Chuck felt confident that the activity of the helicopters had not compromised their insertion, and Chuck began to stand from his position, and the nine other operators of Alpha Team followed suit.

"Alpha Team, advancing on rebel base camp," Chuck stated into comms.

"That's affirmative," Major Moore responded.

"Bravo Team insertion point also secure. Now also advancing on mission objective," Morgan declared.

"Copy that," Major Moore retorted.

* * *

**03:40 hours**

Alpha and Bravo Teams had been mobile towards their objective for thirty-five minutes when they paused in place as their CO came on the air.

"Standby. We have managed another satellite pass of the FARC camp. There doesn't appear to be any kind of increased activity since the last satellite pass, so it appears that your mission was not compromised after we landed at Tolemaida. Continue to the objective as planned," Major Moore stated.

"Affirmative. ETA to the objective; twenty-five minutes," Chuck declared.

"Copy that, sir. Bravo Team ETA; likewise," Morgan stated.

With the communication chatter going quiet, Chuck and the rest of his team continued converging towards their objective once more as they trod carefully through the jungle in search of any kind of booby trap or land mine or anything that could possibly compromise their approach to the camp.

* * *

**04:05 hours**

"Alpha Team; in position with a view of FARC base camp," Chuck declared from his prone position in the mud of the jungle.

"Affirmative. How is it looking?" Major Moore asked.

"It's quiet. There doesn't seem to be increased sentry activity beyond what you would normally expect in a camp like this. They're absolutely not expecting us. There's a sentry in place standing over a GPMG (General-purpose machine gun) in a fortified position, but that's about all," Chuck declared as he trained the sights of his Heckler & Koch HK416 suppressed assault rifle onto a male guerrilla that was completely unaware that he was surrounded by an elite American unit.

"Copy that. Bravo Team, status?" Major Moore asked.

"Bravo Team, arriving at objective imminently," Morgan declared.

"Copy that. In position for assault at 04:15 hours?" the Major asked.

"That's affirmative, sir," Morgan replied.

Chuck inhaled a breath of air as he continued to observe the Colombian sentry in his sight as he prepared to enter into direct action.

* * *

**04:15 hours**

Alpha and Bravo teams were now both in position to assault the FARC rebel camp, and they were preparing to begin their hostage rescue mission at any moment. Another sentry had now appeared in view of Alpha Team. Bravo Team, meanwhile, also had a sentry in sight at the western entrance of the camp.

Chuck continued to remain in position as he waited for the command from his commanding officer to commence the operation to rescue Zondra Rizzo.

"I have control," Major Moore appeared on comms. "Alpha, ready?"

"Ready," Chuck replied as he continued to train his sights onto the sentry posted at the GPMG behind the sandbags about fifty meters away.

"Bravo, ready?" Major Moore said.

"Ready," Morgan replied.

"Begin assault in three, two, one, execute," Major Moore commanded.

On being given the command to assault the camp in search of Zondra, Chuck, and his team member, Sergeant Randy Nelson, each fired two rounds at the sentry in the fortified position behind the sandbags at the GPMG. While Sergeant Major Eastwood and Staff Sergeant Scott Hill each fired shots at the second sentry stood in view of the team. Alpha Team immediately rose from their positions they had placed themselves in, and they began to converge towards the northern entrance of the camp rapidly.

"Two sentries neutralized. Approaching the northern entrance of the camp," Chuck declared as he continued his advance through the jungle towards the entrance of the rebel camp.

"Copy that."

"One sentry neutralized. Converging on the western entrance to the camp," Morgan stated into comms.

"Affirmative."

Chuck had now arrived at the entrance to the camp, and he grouped up in formation with his unit as the elite team filed into the northern entrance of the stronghold, and they entered the lobby area of the rebel base. Chuck immediately turned left, and he entered inside of what was the storeroom of the camp with two operators following in behind him. They quickly cleared out the storeroom, and it was empty of any threat.

"Storeroom cleared," Chuck declared.

"Affirmative."

Chuck and the two operators then doubled back, and as Chuck exited the storeroom, his gaze connected onto a male about twenty yards away that froze in place on spotting the American crack unit.

"LA ALARMA! LA ALARMA! LA ALARMA!" the rebel began screaming as Chuck, and two other operators immediately dispatched several rounds towards the rebel fighter, and he dropped lifeless onto the floor of the camp.

Chuck and the rest of the elite special forces team immediately began to hear a hell of a lot more noise as the alert had been bellowed, and a direct armed engagement was now about to begin.

Chuck quickly continued on with his mission of securing and neutralizing all threat inside of the camp with the element of surprise now at an end. Several seconds later, Chuck began to hear bursts of unsuppressed gunfire as Chuck threw a flashbang into one of the housing areas on the base, and he was inside the room in an instant. Now in Chuck's field of view inside the room were four rebels that had flown out of their places of rest, and they were searching for their weapons in shock and complete disorientation. Chuck took no time hesitating as he immediately began to engage two of the rebels, and two other operators following in behind him also began to fight the Colombian rebels inside of the barracks. The three Delta operators quickly neutralized the FARC rebels inside of the housing, and Chuck and his two operators swept through the barracks for any further threats and in search of Zondra and any other hostages.

"Housing Alpha, cleared," Chuck stated into comms.

"Affirmative," Major Moore responded.

Departing the housing with no sign of any hostages and no further threat, Chuck continued his advance with two other operators when they began to take fire from one section of the camp. The three American soldiers immediately returned fire onto the two rebels that were intensely engaging them.

"Housing Bravo, cleared," Morgan came on air as Chuck continued to exchange fire with two FARC rebels when the small contingent of three Delta Force operators was then joined by another team of three and the six elite tier one operators quickly dispatched the two rebels and Alpha and Bravo Teams continued their advance through the camp. Chuck then moved to enter into another hut inside of the camp to clear it of threat, and his gaze connected onto an enormous quantity of cocaine all around the room.

"Fuck me!" Sergeant Major Eastwood declared as he followed in behind Chuck, and his gaze connected onto the massive quantity of cocaine.

"We've uncovered a massive drug lab. There is a LOT of cocaine here," Chuck reported into the communications channel.

"That's affirmative," Major Moore responded.

Departing the drug lab, Chuck continued to advance south through the camp, and he was coming to the end of this particular corner of the rebel camp, and he was approaching where the two rebels had engaged him just earlier when two more guerrillas appeared in his view from the same location armed with assault rifles. Once more, Chuck assessed the fighters as an immediate threat to him as he and numerous members of his team began to engage the rebels, and they discharged a large number of rounds at the guerrilla fighters. With them neutralized seconds later, Chuck advanced towards the location of the deceased rebels when Morgan came on the air.

"Primary objective secured and two additional hostages. A Colombian, he appears to be military, and we also have a female British national here," Morgan declared.

"That's affirmative. Great work. Let's wrap up and secure the camp of any further resistance," Major Moore commanded.

Alpha and Bravo teams then spent the next few minutes completely clearing the camp of all further resistance...

* * *

The FARC rebel camp was now completely secure, and the cleanup operation was in effect before extraction. Eighteen Delta Force operators were going about their duties, such as gathering weapons and intelligence gathering. Two Delta Force operators had sustained minor gunshot wounds during the operation.

Chuck had now arrived at the location of where the three hostages were being held inside of the base when Morgan came on the air.

"Wow, Chuck, you were right, buddy! That _is_ a LOT of cocaine!" Morgan declared.

Chuck laughed and nodded his head in strong approval. "Yeah, we're talking Scarface levels for sure," he declared back into comms.

"Good reference, Chuck!" Morgan responded in approval.

Chuck then walked up to Zondra, and she met his gaze. "Zondra Rizzo?" he asked on stopping in her immediate vicinity. She was no longer bound.

"Yeah," Zondra declared as she continued her glance.

"United States Army, we were sent in to rescue you. A good Samaritan witnessed your abduction, and he followed your abductors for more than ninety minutes, which allowed us to get a fix onto the camp," Chuck informed her.

Zondra smiled at Chuck. "Thanks for the rescue," she said softly.

Chuck returned the smile. "That's no problem. If an American ever needs our help, then we'll always show up to help them out. Oh, by the way, I am unable to curb my gaping curiosity. You _were_ in the CAT Squad, right?" Chuck asked as he continued to hold his gaze with her.

Zondra frowned. "You have me at a disadvantage. You appear to know so much about me. Who are you?" Zondra asked.

Chuck grinned as they continued to hold their gaze. "Captain Bartowski, ma'am. I can't say much, you know with the whole classified thing, I'm sure you can understand. But, let us just say that I am a _big_ admirer of the Clandestine Attack Team, you guys sounded so cool," Chuck declared.

Zondra laughed. "You guys aren't so bad yourselves. There must have been twenty or more fighters here. I hope none of you took any injuries during the operation," she replied warmly.

"We have two guys who got shot, but they're only minor gunshot wounds. By the way, there were twenty-five fighters," Chuck laughed to her.

Zondra shook her head as they shared another smile.

"You special forces, always being accurate and methodical," Zondra joked.

Chuck suppressed laughter. "You betcha," he said with a wide grin.

"Can I get your first name?" Zondra asked as they held their gaze.

Chuck nodded. "Sure, it's Chuck."

"Wow, I didn't think anyone still named their kids, _Chuck_."

Chuck and Zondra shared brief laughter. "It's a heck of a lot more popular than _Zondra_!" Chuck protested.

Once more, they shared slight laughter. "Touche," she replied.

"I'd better get back to my tasking. Do make sure to pay a visit to the drug lab before we blow it up," Chuck stated.

"How much drugs are in there?" Zondra asked.

"A lot!" Chuck laughed.

"Ok, now I'm very interested in paying it a visit. Thanks for the tip," Zondra stated.

"You're welcome," Chuck said as they shared a final warm glance before Chuck departed to continue to prepare to exfiltrate.

* * *

The four American gunships had now arrived in the area of operations, and they were now hovering over the FARC base camp.

The elite troop of Delta Force operators then began to depart the camp along with Zondra and the two other freed hostages. Explosive charges had been set inside of the drug lab to blow the large cache of cocaine to smithereens. The two Black Hawks that were being used for transportation then began to descend into open spots, and the operators, Zondra and the hostages started to embark onto the transports.

"It will be a tight fit, Zondra, I'm afraid," Chuck declared as he stood outside of the Black Hawk waiting to embark, and she smiled at him.

"You could always sit on my knee," Sergeant Will Jackson joked causing immediate laughter among the operators.

"Or I could just throw you out and take your seat," Zondra retorted as she moved to embark into the Black Hawk, extending the laughter from the entire gathering in that particular American gunship.

"Oh no, she didn't!" Sergeant Major Eastwood said approvingly.

"Zondra, welcome to the unit!" Chuck declared with a loving grin as he moved to embark into the Black Hawk, and he took a seat next to Zondra.

"Thanks," she replied as they shared a smile.

With everybody boarded into both Black Hawks, they began to ascend into the air, and all that was left was to destroy the drug lab.

"Zondra, would you like the honors?" Chuck asked as he extended his arm out, and he offered the detonator to her.

"Sure," Zondra replied as she moved to take the detonator out of Chuck's hand.

"Fire in the hole!" Chuck declared, and on doing so, the operators and Zondra all watched as the camp exploded down below.

"Boom!" Sgt. Major Eastwood exclaimed in excitement.

"How much cocaine was in there?" Chuck asked as he glanced at Zondra once more.

"Easily a tonne, maybe more," Zondra declared as they held their warm gaze.

"Wow!" Chuck exclaimed in amazement.

"We could have sold it and got rich," Sergeant Kyle Watson joked.

"Yeah, we could've. I always fancied being a drug dealer and carrying a golden desert eagle with me around South America," Sergeant Major Eastwood joked, causing further laughter amongst the operators.

"I'll pretend I didn't hear that!" Chuck retorted as he glanced around the operators on board the gunship.

"Quick, grab him, and throw him out before he has us all court-martialed and shot!" Sergeant Will Jackson joked as the merriment between the team and the attractive agent continued on.

* * *

The four helicopters had just touched down at Tolemaida Air Base after a successful operation.

"Well, Phil, thanks for the ride. It's been a pleasure, as always," Chuck said to the Night Stalker Major.

"Likewise, Chuck. Congrats on the near clean and perfect operation and a speedy recovery to your two injured," the Night Stalker said.

Chuck smiled as he moved to shake the Night Stalker's hand from where he was standing. "Thank you, Major. Tell your wife I was asking about her."

"I don't have a wife, you bastard! But neither do you!" the Major retorted, causing strong laughter inside the helo.

"Stay safe, Major, Captain," Chuck then said his final farewells on the laughter quietening as he glanced at the pilot and co-pilot a final time before disembarking from the helicopter, and he then began the short walk back towards where the C-130 Hercules was still parked and waiting with its tail opened.

Alpha and Bravo teams arrived at the C-130 a few minutes later, and Major Moore, in addition to some Colombian military personnel, were waiting at the location for their arrival.

"A clean operation, men. Great work," Major Moore bestowed praise upon his soldiers.

"Thank you, sir," most of the Delta Force operators replied in unison.

"We'll be handing over the Colombian soldier that we rescued to you, Colonel," Major Moore then said as he glanced at the Colombian Colonel waiting at the C-130.

The Colombian Colonel nodded graciously while feeling very pleased with the American unit because it had killed twenty-five rebels and destroyed a significant portion of drugs in addition to the rescuing of three hostages.

"I will be staying too. My home is here," the female British hostage declared.

"If you're sure," Major Moore said with a nod.

"I am, thank you for the rescue," the Brit replied as she glanced around the unit.

"No problem. You're welcome. Stay safe," Chuck replied to the Brit.

Chuck, Zondra, and the rest of the troop then all began to board onto the C-130 to head back to their base in Fort Bragg after a very successful rescue operation...

End of Chapter

**AN2 **Uh-oh! Chuck is in for it big time next chapter! Make sure you tune in!

**AN3** I had a bit of writer's block during this mission because I've never been in a jungle before or seen any real jungle missions in tv shows or read about them in books. I hope I didn't do too badly. There's only one way for me to know. Leave a review and let me know. Reviews provide me the infinite motivation to continue on, and they equate to faster chapters :)

**AN4** In the tv series _Seal Team_, they gave a C-17 to the small team on operations. I thought that was overkill. I wouldn't imagine anything more than a C-130 being given to a small SOF unit. And that's at a best-case scenario. See you all next chapter!


	4. The Soldier vs the Dark Haired Spy

**AN1 **There will be lots of Chuck/Zondra this chapter, so if you can only ship Charah and behave as though no other male or female exists on the planet at the same time that Charah does, then you probably shouldn't read this chapter. Seriously, I'm not joking. If you want Charah and only Charah and if for some reason you cannot compromise on that, then come back next chapter. If you're open-minded and neutral, however, then enjoy the chapter! :)

* * *

**The Spy and the Soldier**

**Chapter Four, The Soldier vs. the Dark Haired Spy**

* * *

**Pope Field**

**Fort Bragg**

**Friday, 26th September 2008**

**Three days until the upload**

It was afternoon when the C-130 carrying the troop of Delta Force and Zondra began to touch down onto the runway of the airfield at Pope Field. The twenty-three soldiers and lone spy began to wait for several minutes as the plane taxied its way towards the departure location at the airport.

Chuck, along with most of the other military personnel onboard the aircraft, had slept for most of the six-hour flight back to Fort Bragg.

"Home sweet home," Morgan declared as he, along with most of the other soldiers on board, began to stretch their arms and legs in preparation for their departure from the aircraft.

"Have you visited Fort Bragg before, Zondra?" Chuck asked as he gazed at the attractive spy seated opposite him.

Zondra shook her head. "No, but there's a first time for everything," she declared with a smile.

Chuck nodded as he laughed a brief suppressed chuckle. "It's not as glamorous as some of the places you've visited, I'm sure. But for us, it's heaven," he stated with a warm grin.

Zondra suppressed a laugh of her own. "From everything I've heard about it, it sounds like the perfect place for me to be at, too," she declared.

Chuck grinned. "Yeah?" he asked as they held their gaze from the opposite sides of the aircraft they were seated at.

Zondra nodded.

"Then you really should join us. We'd love to have you here with us," Chuck continued the exchange.

"Where do I sign up?" she asked as they continued to hold their gaze.

"I'm sure that's not necessary. I'm sure we could fast track you into the unit. Right, Major?" Chuck said as he averted his glance from Zondra and to where Major Moore was seated next to him instead.

"Absolutely! We'll even make you a Captain like one of the Captains sat on opposite sides of me. How does Captain Rizzo sound?" the Major said as he got in on the playful exchange.

Zondra smiled at the two officers seated opposite her. "Pretty good actually," she admitted as they shared brief laughter.

"Great. Then we'll make it official just as soon as we depart," Chuck pushed the conversation.

"I'll look forward to it. Though I'm sure I won't look as good in my uniform as you all do in yours," she flirted.

"Now, I'm not so sure about that!" Morgan quickly protested.

"Nor me!" Major Moore added in.

"I'm sure you could make anything look good and with ease, Zondra," Chuck flirted back, and he was met with sharp agreement from his comrades, and a warm glance from Zondra.

The C-130 then came to a stop at its final destination, and the ramp at the tail end of the aircraft began to open. Once the ramp had fixed itself into place, the soldiers and the spy all moved to stand, and they spent the new few minutes departing from out of the aircraft and into the open air. It was late September, and the climate was still humid in North Carolina.

As Chuck departed from out of the C-130 and onto the airfield, he gazed up into the air, and with not a cloud in sight, the sun shone brightly in all of its glory, many millions of miles away on this lovely Autumn day.

"We'll set you up with accommodation for the night, Agent Rizzo, in case you decide to spend the night in our company," Major Moore said as the troop of soldiers and lone spy began to walk on the ground of the airfield.

"I think that's the least I can do. As a thank you for the rescue," Zondra declared, causing approving laughter from Chuck, Morgan, the Major, and two other soldiers in their proximity.

"We vehemently agree. I'm sure one of us could show you around. We'll probably fight for the honor," Chuck said with a lot of humor attached to his tone.

* * *

The troop of Delta Force and Zondra had just finished a quick debriefing of the rescue operation, and Major Moore was preparing to dismiss his soldiers for the weekend.

"Well, I think we have just about covered everything so that about wraps it up for the weekend. I will see all of your ugly faces again Monday morning sharpish," Major Moore joked, causing an immediate outburst of laughter inside of the operations room that had been used to hold the debriefing.

"He's letting us go early! That's a first!" Sergeant Will Jackson joked furthering the laughter of the soldiers.

"Well, I have to show off and pretend what a nice guy I am in front of Agent Rizzo," the Major continued the joking spirit, and the laughter continued on as the enlisted soldiers began to depart the large operations room.

Chuck, Morgan, and Major Moore, as the three officers of the troop in addition to Zondra, who wasn't part of the unit, remained inside of the room. Morgan and the Major then began to engage in conversation in one of the corners of the room, and Chuck approached Zondra, who was stood in another corner as he would very much like to engage in conversation with her because, one, she's highly attractive. And two, he would like to talk with her about her time in the CAT Squad and the CIA, seeing as though he is about to be seconded to the agency.

"You again, huh? I'm beginning to think that you're stalking me," she teased as they made eye contact with each other.

Chuck laughed. "Guilty as charged," he flirted

"What, you don't even want a trial?" she flirted back.

"Why bother? I'd only be found guilty anyway," he continued the exchange as they shared laughter.

"I'm not so sure. Maybe you could coerce some of the witnesses," she said coyly.

He nodded. "You're right. Maybe I could argue my case as to why I felt the need to continue to interact with you," he replied as they held their gaze.

"Why is that?" she replied as neither broke their gaze.

"Well, because you're highly attractive for starters," he declared with a grin as he continued to gaze into her brown orbs.

Zondra smiled. "And for seconds?" she retorted as she continued their exchange.

"For seconds, I would very much like to find out what you were doing in Colombia, which led you to be captured, that is if you can share it with me?" he asked.

Zondra held her smile, and they continued to hold their gaze. "Sure. I was attempting to get close to a member of the Colombian cartel, and I had been undercover for months. I did get close to him, and in the process, I had learned that they were in close cooperation with FARC, which is nothing new as I'm sure you know," she stated.

Chuck nodded. "Yeah. The cartel has been paying FARC protection money for decades," he declared.

Zondra smiled. "Exactly. And that's how I got caught. I saw an opening into FARC, and my mission objective expanded into infiltrating FARC. I got close to a FARC guerrilla leader, Alejandro Sosa, and I began learning everything I could about the chain of command. Sometime later, I then prepared my report, and I followed CIA protocol to arrange a drop and to share what I knew with the agency, and that's when they caught me in the process of making the drop," she informed him.

"Wow. How did they know?" Chuck inquired as they continued to remain idle inside a corner of the operations room.

"I was caught inside his office intelligence gathering a few weeks ago. I made up some sorry excuse for being in there at the time, and I thought it was enough, but evidently not."

A sincere smile formed on Chuck's face. "I'm sorry your operation was compromised and that all those months you spent were for nothing," he declared.

Zondra returned his smile as they continued to hold their gaze. "Thanks."

"What will happen now?" Chuck asked.

"Now, I'll file a report of everything I know about the Cartel and about that particular branch of FARC, but they will have already torn everything up, and they will be long gone from all of the locations that I know they were at. Your assessment was quite correct, all those months of me being undercover were for scraps because that's all we'll now get from it," she said in despondence.

Chuck smiled, consolingly at her. "I know that feeling. I've had some operations since joining CAG go balls-up myself. It's not a nice feeling knowing our time was for nothing," he admitted.

Zondra suppressed laughter at his crude slang used. "Balls-up? Isn't that British slang?" she asked.

He nodded with a vibrant grin. "Yeah, it is. I was on an operation with a British team a while back, and our mission went so wrong on so many levels. They called it an almighty balls-up, and it has stuck with me since," he chuckled.

Zondra laughed at his revelation. "I like it. It might stick with me too!" she said as the spy and the soldier continued to hold their gaze.

"Well, it's mine. You can't have it. Find your own slang to use!" he laughed to her.

"And there was me thinking you liked me," she said coyly.

Not breaking their gaze of intent, he confidently declared, "Oh, but I do like you."

She smiled at him once more. "Maybe now is an appropriate time to ask about my accommodation while I'm a guest here?"

Chuck nodded as they held their stare. "The Major will have to help you with that. I'm sadly just a team leader," he declared.

Zondra laughed. "Oh, you want his job, huh?" she asked, playfully.

Chuck shook his head in sharp disagreement. "Hell no! I didn't join the army to be tied down behind a desk!" he declared as he began to chuckle.

"I like your style," she declared as she pointed at him, and she gave him a beaming smile.

He grinned. "Can I ask you something else?"

"Sure?" she replied as they held their gaze.

"When you were in the CAT Squad, how many bad guys did you successfully bring down, and thus, how many missions did you guys complete?" he asked.

She smiled once more. "Ten successful," she informed him.

"Wow, so a very successful team, then. How did Gaez always manage to get away from you guys, though?" he asked.

Zondra briefly frowned at him. "He was always one step ahead of us every time we thought we'd gotten close. But how do you know so much about me? Have you read my file, if so, why?" she asked.

Chuck grinned at her once more. "I'm sorry, but I really can't say how I know of you, but no, I haven't read your file, I can tell you that much," he declared.

Zondra shook her head. "You're no fun," she teased.

"I can assure you that I am _very_ fun," he stressed.

"Yeah?" she retorted.

He nodded. "Yeah."

"I may just take you up on that assurance," she said flirtatiously.

"Well, I may just accept," he continued the exchange as they shared another warm gaze.

"But if you haven't read my file, then you must have read someone else's. Either your team was sent on a mission related to Gaez, or you've read another file of one of the CATs. I don't see you working with Carina or Amy, but maybe Sarah. But last I heard, she was with Bryce," Zondra said.

Chuck immediately tensed upon hearing the name of Bryce once more, which was a big mistake, as Zondra noted it as soon as he did it because it was the first time in their conversation so far that Chuck had become uncomfortable and not at ease or confident in engaging with her.

"I'm guessing from your reactions that it was Sarah's file that you read then. What is she, an ex-girlfriend?" she asked.

Chuck turned a little fidgety as he attempted to conceal his thoughts. "Me and Sarah? No. I don't even know her," he deflected from the topic in an attempt to hide his connection to Bryce and his upcoming partnership with Sarah.

Zondra scoffed. "Yeah, right! And I'm Santa Claus! I just watched you tense up when I mentioned her! It's fine if you have some bad history with her. I do myself," she admitted.

"Because of the whole traitor thing, right?" Chuck asked.

Zondra nodded. "Yeah."

"For the record, I don't believe either of you are the traitor," Chuck declared.

"But it has to be someone. I know beyond all doubt that we had a traitor. And Sarah was the only one in Milan," Zondra argued.

Chuck shrugged as he didn't know anything more about the CAT Squad except for the small extract of what he had read in Sarah's file yesterday. "Zondra, I haven't seen any of that information. I don't even know the first thing about Milan. Everything I know about the CAT Squad, I've already told you, so I don't know very much at all. But I don't believe either of you is the traitor. I am sure there is another explanation out there somewhere, you just need to find it."

"It's too late now. We broke up as a team five years ago, and the damage between Sarah and me is irreparable," Zondra declared.

Chuck shook his head, and he gave her a warm smile. "Zondra, it's never too late," he encouraged in a soft tone.

Zondra smiled as they continued to share a warm gaze, and a brief silence then ensued until the silence was broken by the voice of a third party for the first time in however long they had been stood idle at their location. "Captain Bartowski?"

Chuck averted his gaze away from Zondra and his glance connected onto Specialist Laura Wood, who was one of numerous support personnel attached to Delta Force.

"Yeah?" he inquired.

"You are wanted for a conference with General Beckman immediately. The General and CIA Director Graham have been calling and attempting to get in contact with you all day, and they aren't very pleased, I can tell you that much," the Specialist informed him.

Chuck gulped at the Specialist's revelation.

Chuck then fixed his glance back onto Zondra. "Zondra, I'm sorry. I really have to take this," he stressed.

"It sounds like you've been a very naughty boy, Captain Bartowski," she said with a smirk.

He nodded. "If I'm not back in half an hour, then send out the search party. I may be the one to need rescuing this time," he joked with a grin.

"Who says I'll still be here in half an hour?" she asked with a straight face.

"It was just a guess, based on the signals I've been reading. But I would like you to be," he stated as his body language and tone continued to ooze confidence, and he continued to feel completely at ease in communicating and engaging in overt flirting with the gorgeous woman in front of him.

"I have to report to the Director anyway, so I guess I'll still be here," she then declared.

He nodded. "I'll see you soon then," he replied as he grinned at her a final time.

"Yeah."

Chuck quickly began to walk away from Zondra and past Morgan and Major Moore, who both winked at him, and he linked up with Specialist Wood as they walked along the hallway of the building for a minute until they arrived at their destination.

"The General already is waiting on the line for you, Captain Bartowski," Specialist Wood said.

Chuck nodded. "Thank you, Specialist," he replied.

"Sir," the Specialist said as she nodded and then walked away.

Chuck picked up the communications headset, and he moved to put it in place. Standing in the center of one of several conference rooms in the building, he resumed the transmission that Specialist Wood had placed on hold.

"Ma'am?" he said into the microphone of the headset.

"One moment," an aide of the General replied into the headset.

Chuck waited in pause for a short moment as the line went on hold once more, before he began to hear activity again.

"Captain Bartowski?" General Beckman said into the communications device.

"Yes, ma'am," Chuck replied into the microphone.

"What the hell are you playing at, Captain Bartowski?! Do you know how long I have been attempting to get into contact with you for?!" the General fumed in a loud enough tone that caused him to grimace anxiously at the impending storm from both the General and the Director because if this was just the opening salvo, then he was in for one hell of a reprimand that's for sure!

"My apologies, General. I was out on operations with my unit, and I have only within the last hour returned with the team from the operation."

"Captain Bartowski, our assignment is to begin in three days!" General Beckman protested into the headset.

"I know, ma'am," Chuck replied calmly to the superior officer.

"Then why did you go on this operation knowing that your far more critical operation is about to commence? I demand an explanation, Captain Bartowski!" the General shouted in her continued raised tone of voice.

Chuck sighed for the briefest of moments as he prepared his response. "General, you're military. You know that I can't excuse myself from an operation when I am still part of my unit. That wouldn't go down well, and I'd be received very badly by all fifty-thousand soldiers on this base. I'm sure I don't need to recite the Ranger creed to you. I'm sure that you're aware of it. You knew who I was when you chose me as your candidate. I didn't go on this mission to tick you off. I didn't go on this mission to play the hero. I went on the mission because duty demanded that I do so. I hope you can understand that ma'am," he argued his case.

The General began to sigh. "I do understand that, Captain Bartowski," the General paused for a short moment. "It was just dangerous, and Project Intersect has cost our government a lot of time and money, and it was thrown into chaos when you got onto that plane to begin your mission."

"I understand that, General. Truly I do," he replied as sincere as he could possibly be.

"Were there any injuries on the operation?" the General asked.

"Yes ma'am, two of my troop sustained two minor gunshot wounds, but they'll be all healed up in no time. Other than that, it was a clean operation, and we achieved our primary objective in addition to several secondary objectives, too," Chuck informed the General.

"Other than the injuries of your teammates, that is good news," General Beckman said in a quieter tone.

"Yes ma'am, and once more, my apologies for being out of contact for almost twenty-four hours. I can assure you it won't happen again," he said.

"I would hope not, with the assignment to begin in three days!" the General said in a raised tone once more.

"Yes, ma'am," Chuck replied with a very composed demeanor.

"Well, Captain Bartowski, I wish you a pleasant weekend, and I will see you at the location of the Intersect on Monday."

"Yes, ma'am. Thank you. And I wish you a happy weekend too," Chuck replied, and with that, the General terminated the transmission.

With the transmission terminated, Chuck removed the headset from his person, and he breathed out a deep sigh from where he stood. After a grueling mission, the last thing he needed right now was people down his ear. The General, however, did have a point, and she was very respectful and understanding the entire transmission, except for her shouting down his ear.

Chuck turned, and he walked to exit the conference room, and as he did so, he noted as Zondra departed from out of another conference room. She quickly noted his presence, and they met each other halfway out in the corridor of the large building.

"Wow, Chuck, my boss wants to speak to you immediately! He sounded in the worst mood I've ever heard him in. You have pissed him off," she said with a smirk.

Chuck shook his head. "I've just had General Beckman down my ear. And now I have another earful to look forward to. Just great!" Chuck complained with a long sigh.

Zondra smiled sympathetically. "I'm sorry you're in so much trouble all for rescuing me."

Chuck returned the smile. "Don't worry about it. What did he say?"

"You really want to hear it?" Zondra asked.

Chuck nodded. "Uh-huh. Give it to me," he replied.

"GET HIM ON THE PHONE NOW!" Zondra then recited the Director's words, which caused numerous military officials to pause in place and to glance at Zondra to query her loud outburst.

Chuck winced. "Ouch. He really screamed it like that?" he asked.

"It was worse than that," she declared with a smirk.

"God help me!" Chuck grimaced.

"Good luck," she said with a warm smile.

Chuck nodded. "Thank you. I'll need it," he declared as they shared a final gaze before Chuck walked along the hallway in search of one of the communications personnel in the building. He found one a minute later, as his gaze connected onto Specialist Wood once more.

"Specialist?" he flagged the enlisted soldier down.

"Yes, sir?" Specialist Wood replied.

"Could you get me the CIA Director in a conference? He's requested me."

"Sure, that's no problem at all, Captain Bartowski, if you'd like to follow me?" the Specialist said.

Chuck nodded as he followed the Specialist into another conference room in the building.

"You're popular today, sir," Specialist Wood said as they entered the room.

Chuck nodded. "Tell me about it," he laughed.

Specialist Wood chuckled as she then spent the next few minutes setting up the conference with CIA Director Graham.

"Ok, that's all set up for you, sir. He's waiting on the line, and he doesn't sound happy," the Specialist said.

Chuck nodded. "Thank you, Specialist."

Specialist Wood nodded, and she then departed the small conference room.

Once more, Chuck moved to place the communication headset onto his person, and this time he took an extended moment to prepare himself for the impending storm because he remembered Major Moore's words to him the previous day. Having taken a moment, he removed the call from being on hold.

"Director?" Chuck said into the microphone.

"AH, THE PRODIGAL SON RETURNS FROM PLAYING THE HERO!" Director Graham blasted out in such a loud burst of decibels that it caused Chuck to yank the headset away from his ears before they exploded.

_Crikey! What the hell have I signed up for on this assignment?!_

"Care to tell me where you been for the past day, Chuck? Actually, let me guess; you've been gallivanting through half of Colombia! AND DON'T GET ME STARTED ON THAT INSOLENT SWINE THAT YOU REFER TO AS MAJOR MOORE!"

"Director," Chuck attempted to protest. However, he was quickly interrupted by another barrage from Graham, "If only that son of a bitch knew just how important Project Intersect was to national security!"

"Director, I _must_ protest," Chuck said with strong distaste over his new boss's insults towards a good friend of his.

The Director continued his scathing assault, "Oh, you must, must you? Well, I have a protest or two of my own! Have you won any more medals on your latest heroic adventure?"

There was a brief pause, and Chuck was about to use the break as his opening to voice his growing complaint about the Director's conduct towards him, but he stopped short when Graham resumed his scornful reprimand, "If you want to run off and play the hero, Chuck, then that's fine by me! We can delay the project for several more months, costing millions upon millions of dollars and American lives in the process!"

Chuck had now had enough of the CIA Director's extreme pompousness and superior attitude since the very first moment the call connected. Chuck was a Captain in the United States Military. He didn't need to take this scathing assault on his and his friend's character by a civilian employee. The CIA was _not_ part of the Department of Defense.

"You know what? I am appalled by your conduct, Director! Zondra is your agent! I can't believe you are seriously suggesting that she was on her own and that we should have left her to the rebels! If that's how you do things in the CIA, then I'm starting to become very sorry that I agreed to this assignment!" Chuck snapped back as he began to get very frustrated by the pompous ass that so happened to be his new boss.

"You think that you're sorry?! I am coming to the conclusion that we picked the wrong candidate!" Director Graham fired back.

"You know what? Maybe you did! I've just been on a grueling mission! I'm tired! I don't need this crap right now!" Chuck shouted back as he continued to engage in a verbal engagement with Director Graham.

"Then, don't go and play the hero and throw my vital operation to national security into the air just because you felt like playing the soldier with your friends!" Director Graham shouted back at him.

Chuck started to shake his head as he began to find it increasingly difficult to curb his growing frustrations over the CIA Director's disgusting behavior. "Yes sir, whatever you say, sir," he said mockingly.

"Do you think this is funny?!" Director Graham shouted back.

Chuck scoffed with a scowl on his face. "I don't think it's funny! I think it's absurd! I returned from the operation in one piece! Your agent is safe! Mission complete!" he shouted back, and he was now close to yanking the communication device from his head and throwing it at the nearest wall in immense anger at the disgusting behavior shown towards him.

"Watch your tone with me, Captain Bartowski! Agent Walker will be there on Monday at 07:00 hours to bring you to the secure location housing the Intersect. I expect that when we next meet, I will be given the proper respect due to me! Consider this your first and only warning! Until then, Captain," the Director said, and with that, he terminated the transmission.

Chuck immediately yanked the headset from his person, and he threw it at the table. "Son of a bitch!" he exclaimed in immense anger as he moved to slam his fist into the table in a rare loss of composure, but Director Graham had managed to provoke a strong reaction that was extremely rare from him and was entirely out of character. Throughout Chuck's life and his military career, he had always held his composure, especially in the military in where he'd been under intense gunfire, and he hadn't lost his composure as he had just done, which was very worrying for Chuck, as he would now have to work for the Director for a period of up to three years.

_An RPG connecting just yards away from where I'm standing would bring me much less disorientation than what I've just got from Graham! I now have a headache from hell! The pompous, motherfucking asswipe!_

Chuck began to depart the conference room in his now riled up frame of mind, and he made his way towards the operations room that the earlier debriefing was held in. He arrived outside the room a minute later, and he moved to enter inside. Morgan and Major Moore were no longer present inside of the room, but Zondra was.

Chuck moved to close the distance between them, and she smiled at him. But Chuck wasn't in the mood for pleasantries right now after that royal ass-chewing that Graham had just handed to him.

"Wow, you look ready to explode. Was it that bad?" she asked with a sympathetic smile.

Chuck nodded. "Yeah. I've never felt so angry! Zondra, I don't know how you can work for the CIA. He just gave me hell because I risked an upcoming assignment to rescue you. The assignment wasn't even beginning for another four days! He was seriously suggesting that I should have left you for dead. I think you should find a new career because your boss doesn't give a damn whether you live or die, and anyone on the planet deserves to have a better employer than _that_!" he stated with immense distaste towards the CIA.

Zondra continued her smile towards him. "I know that I'm on my own. But that's how I like it. I'm very good at it. And I enjoy it," she admitted as they continued their gaze.

Despite his foul mood, Chuck managed to suppress a laugh on Zondra's admissions. "In that respect, you sound a lot like me then. I'm very good at what I do too. And I don't just enjoy it, I love it," he declared as a grin formed for the first time since arriving back in her presence.

Zondra shared his warm glance. "How long have you served?" she asked him.

"Six years," he replied.

"Was it always what you wanted?" she asked as their gaze continued to hold.

He shook his head. "No. But 9/11 changed that," he declared.

"Yeah, it did for a lot of people."

He nodded. "Mm-hmm."

There was a brief pause between them until Zondra broke it once more."So, with the debriefing and conferences apparently, over, why don't you show me around the base?" she suggested with a seductive smile.

Chuck breathed out a long sigh. Before his conference with Graham, he was in a great mood, and he was extremely interested in Zondra, and he still was, but the Director had very much killed his mood as all he felt right now was anger and stress. "Zondra, I'd love to. But I'm now in the worst mood that I've ever been in, and it's all because of your boss. I wouldn't be pleasant company for you right now," he admitted as he broke his gaze from her in guilt because he had been a willing participant in whatever it was that they had going on ever since her rescue. Though, now all he wanted to do was to fire his rifle a thousand times at a static target to relieve his extreme stress triggered by his new douchebag boss.

"Wow, I don't think a man has ever rejected me before," she declared with a smirk.

Chuck suppressed laughter. "See, now you're just making me feel bad!" he joked but quickly turned serious. "But seriously, Zondra, it wasn't a decision I took lightly, I can assure you. You're an _extremely_ beautiful woman. And if that pompous ass hadn't had just killed my mojo, then I'd have bitten your hand off for the invitation. But, now, I'm just gonna be in a rotten mood and bad company for the rest of the day, and it wouldn't be fair on you."

She smiled in acceptance. "Your loss," she declared.

Chuck laughed. "Oh, I am certain of that! I must be missing a million brain cells to turn down your offer to me! And believe me, I wouldn't have turned it down if Graham hadn't had just barked down my throat for as long as he did."

"Maybe I'll go and get captured again so you can rescue me and we can try again from the beginning," she said, playfully.

"It probably won't be me this time," he admitted.

"Oh? You are too young to retire."

"Reassignment," he admitted.

"Anywhere nice?" she asked.

"I wish I could tell you," he laughed.

"It's not nice to withhold information from a lady," she said coyly.

He nodded. "I'm with you there. But you would have to blame the government for that," he joked.

She laughed. "Maybe it's actually my loss. But, if I can't tempt you otherwise, I guess this is goodbye then."

"Au revoir! M'lady!" Chuck quipped back as he began to turn away from her but immediately turned back facing her. "Actually, Zondra?"

"Yeah?"

"The least I can do is show you to your accommodation for the night. With Major Moore no longer being here, I assume he set that up for you before he left?"

Zondra nodded. "He did. That would be great. Thanks."

Chuck grinned. "No problem. If you're ready, then we'll depart?" he asked.

"Sure, let's go," she replied.

* * *

Chuck and Zondra had just arrived outside of the housing that Zondra would be staying at during her overnight stopover in Fort Bragg. It was reasonably close to Chuck's own residence, and it was well within walking distance of the operations room, which is what they had just done to get here.

"Well, thanks for the guide," she said as they stood outside the door to the housing.

Chuck grinned. "That's no problem. And thank you for the company. I've enjoyed every moment of it," he declared.

She returned his smile, and she was about to turn away from him to enter, but she paused when Chuck began to talk once more. "Can I leave you my number? Just for if you need a lift back to D.C. tomorrow. I assume you'll be heading back there for reassignment?" he asked.

Zondra nodded. "Sure. If you can spare the time, then that would be great," she replied.

Chuck nodded. "Absolutely. It's the least I can do," he said as he removed a pen and a small notebook from his person, and he wrote out his number. He then handed the piece of paper to Zondra. "Here you are."

"Thanks," she replied, and they shared a final smile.

"No problem. Well, bye then," he said.

"Bye," she replied as she turned away from him to enter the accommodation, and Chuck walked away.

* * *

**One hour later**

Chuck had just finished showering, and he had changed into civilian wear with him now being off-duty for the weekend. He had calmed down a little bit since his verbal spat with Director Graham. However, he still wasn't in the best of moods, which was a great shame, as this upcoming weekend was probably the last chance in a while that he would be able to have a good time, with his pending reassignment to work with the CIA and the NSA. He was stood in the lounge area of his housing, deciding what to do with the rest of his day when his door began to knock.

Chuck departed the lounge area, and he walked to the door of the housing, and he opened it up, and his gaze connected onto Morgan and Major Moore.

"Hey, buddy," Morgan greeted him.

"We expected to find Zondra here with you," Major Moore stated.

"Yes, we did, Chuck," Morgan added in.

Chuck shook his head. "Nah, just me," he declared.

"I have to say, Chuck. I'm disappointed in you, man," Morgan said while pointing his finger at him and shaking his head.

"How about that catch-up?" Major Moore asked.

"I'm not really in the mood. I just went to war a little earlier with the CIA Director. What a pompous ass he is!" Chuck said with disgust.

"Don't remind me of him! My ears still hurt," Major Moore joked, causing Morgan to laugh.

"Yours do?!" Chuck fired back. "Try being me! He gave me a barrage for several minutes! I'd sooner be tortured by the Taliban than go through what I just did with him again!"

"Which is why we're heading out. You sound like you need it, buddy," Morgan said.

"Guys, I'm not sure. I don't want to be lousy company," Chuck protested.

"We're not taking no for an answer, Chuck," Major Moore said.

"Damn right, we're not, so let's go," Morgan demanded.

* * *

Chuck, Morgan, and Major Moore were now at an officer's club on the base, and they were seated together and catching up.

"It feels ages since we were here last," Chuck said as he took a sip of his drink.

"It's only been two weeks," Morgan declared.

"Yeah. It feels longer, though," Major Moore replied. "So, Chuck, are you looking forward to your reassignment?"

Chuck heartily shook his head. "Not anymore," he admitted.

Major Moore laughed.

"Was it really that bad, Chuck?" Morgan asked.

"Worse, it was hell! He went off on me worse than the Drill Instructors at Basic," Chuck said with distaste.

Morgan frowned in surprise. "Wow, really?" he asked.

Chuck nodded.

"Morgan, after the onslaught I got from him yesterday, I can very much attest to Chuck's assessment." Major Moore said.

"Wow, what a total douchebag!" Morgan said, shaking his head in contempt.

"Yeah," Chuck agreed.

"So, Chuck, what went wrong with Zondra? We purposely stayed out of your way to allow you to do your thing. Usually, we'd get in on the action too, but it is your last days with us, so..." Major Moore said.

"I turned her down," Chuck admitted, which caused immediate groans of complaint and disapproving stares from both Morgan and the Major.

"Oh, hell, no, Chuck! Hell no! No member of CAG that is single can refuse an offer from a woman as beautiful as that!" Morgan said lividly.

"I was in a foul mood and I predicted I wouldn't have brought my A-Game," Chuck protested.

Morgan shook his head in strong disapproval over Chuck's actions. "That's no excuse, Chuck! She would have made your mood better!" Morgan said in a loud complaint, and Major Moore nodded in complete agreement.

"What did she say exactly?" Major Moore asked.

"She asked me to show her around. And when I refused, she told me that she'd never been rejected by a man before and that it was my loss," Chuck said.

Morgan instantly moved to bend over the table and he slapped Chuck across his head.

"Ow!" Chuck complained as he glanced at his best friend with distaste.

"Oh, Chuck, you idiot!" Morgan said as he moved to sit back down and continued to shake his head and he gave Chuck a belittling stare in contempt of his friend's actions.

"Yes, Chuck, you idiot!" the Major promptly agreed.

"I am, aren't I?" Chuck asked as he shifted his glance between his two friends, and they both nodded.

"Yes, Chuck, you are!" his two friends said in unison, causing him to laugh.

"Chuck, our friendship is over unless you go and correct your mistake right now! Never turn down a woman as hot as that!" Morgan demanded.

"Never, ever, Chuck. You don't do it! You are bringing great shame and discredit to this unit. You have to correct your mistake before our reputation is forever ruined because of what you have done," Major Moore chimed in.

"It's ok for you, Chuck. You are being seconded away from us. But, _we, we_ have to live with your mistake!" Morgan said as he pointed at Chuck with contempt.

"What about our catch up?" Chuck asked with a grin as he rotated his gaze between Morgan and the Major.

"We will happily reschedule it for another time! It's suddenly not important anymore! Seriously, Chuck, we look out for each other over here!" Major Moore said.

"Damn right, we do! Go to that woman right now, Chuck, or we'll pick you up and carry you there ourselves!" Morgan demanded.

"Yes, we will. Besides, we'll do the drinking for you, Chuck," Major Moore added in, and Morgan nodded with his CO.

"You guys are right. I've made a terrible mistake and one that needs correcting. I suddenly have other plans. I'll catch you both later!" Chuck said as he moved to down the contents of the remainder of his drink.

"Good man!" Morgan shouted approvingly.

"Don't do anything we wouldn't do!" Major Moore called out as Chuck quickly departed from the officer's club.

Morgan and the Major then began to grin and emit approving laughter together.

"That's our boy!" Morgan said with pride.

"He's leaving the unit with style," Major Moore declared.

"I'll drink to that," Morgan retorted, as himself and the Major moved to take a gulp of their drinks.

* * *

Zondra had showered, and she was in the accommodation provided to her while she spent a night on Fort Bragg. It was a pity that Chuck had lost interest at the last moment, because she'd never bedded a soldier before, and, if his confidence levels were anything to go by, she was sure that they would have had one hell of a night together. However, she couldn't blame him for his libido evaporating, because, in her conversation with Graham, she could tell just what kind of mood her boss was in, and Chuck had taken the brunt of that in his communication that had followed, because Graham's anger was directed at him, so she certainly understood why he had lost his desire for her. However, she was somewhat undeniably disappointed by his change of course.

Zondra began to watch some television, as she contemplated what to until tomorrow when the door of the accommodation began to knock. She wasn't expecting any visitors. Rising to stand, she made her way to the front door of the housing, and she paused to take a breath of air, before opening the door to greet whoever was on the other side.

Her gaze connected onto Chuck. He was no longer in his combat gear and was instead dressed in civilian attire.

"Hey," he said with a grin.

"Hi. I'm assuming you changed your mind then?" she got straight to the point.

He nodded. "I did. I made a terrible mistake, and I've come to correct it," he declared with that same confident tone of voice and body language that he'd displayed towards her prior to the incident with the Director.

"Yeah, you did," she smirked.

"Does the offer of showing you around still stand?" he asked.

"To be honest, I didn't want a tour of the base in the first place," she stated as they held their gaze.

"Fair enough," he said.

"The undisclosed offer inviting you to come inside, however, would still stand, but I'm not so sure I want you to anymore. Maybe it's my turn to reject you and to see how your ego likes it," she said flirtatiously.

He grinned. "Oh, Zondra, you can't do that! That would destroy me and it would probably get me killed on my very next mission! Besides, if you did refuse, then you'd be missing out on the best night of your life," he said as they continued their stare of intent.

Zondra smirked. "Oh, well, we can't have that then, can we?" she said suggestively.

"Which part?" he asked as they continued to hold their stare.

"The part where you'd go and get yourself killed. It's still debatable if it would be the best night of my life because I've had many," she said, playfully.

"It's not a debate, it wouldn't even be a contest," he said, with confidence.

"Confident in yourself, aren't you?" she continued their exchange as they held their stare into each other's eyes.

"Well, I'm a _Ranger_," he declared with a grin.

"Then I guess you'd better come inside. If you want to, that is?" she asked as they continued their unyielding stare.

"Just try and stop me!" he replied as he moved into her proximity, and he grabbed hold of her as they began to kiss, and she walked backward until entering into the accommodation, and he kicked the door shut behind them. They continued to kiss out in the hallway until feeling forced into breaking the kiss for needed air.

"I ride a bike, and I'm quite feisty. I won't be gentle with you. Are you sure you can handle me?" she asked as she gazed into his eyes from where they stood inches apart.

"Oh, I'm sure," he said with his continued swagger of self-confidence.

"Let's find out if you really can then," she replied as they moved to kiss once more, and he gripped hold of her, and she gripped him back as they began to tussle with each other while their lips remained connected until she landed roughly into the wall of the accommodation and he trapped her in place.

When they broke the kiss for air once more, she smirked as she said, "Wow, maybe you won't be too gentle with me either."

He laughed. "Usually I am, but there's just something about you. You've brought out the worst in me," he declared.

She suppressed laughter, approvingly. "I'm glad to hear it. Let's see if we can help your mood. If the CIA caused it, then it's only right the CIA fixes it," she declared, and he nodded as they resumed kissing once more, and they quickly made their way to the bedroom in the housing…

* * *

"How's your mood now?" Zondra joked as she gazed at Chuck from where they lay, naked on the bed in the room.

"Better than it has ever been before," he declared with a grin of contentment.

"Oh, you're good!" she said with a smirk.

His grin of happiness continued. "I know I am. But so are you," he replied, and they shared laughter for a long moment.

"How's your own mood?" he then asked.

"It's getting there. But it's still early, and I'm far from finished with you," she said seductively.

His grin continued. "It's still _very_ early, and that aforementioned feeling is mutual!" he declared as they moved to kiss and they began to tussle with each other as they each took turns being the one on top during their chosen activities.

* * *

"So, Zondra, where does a woman as gorgeous as you originate from?" Chuck asked as he gazed at her from where they continued to lay.

She smiled sympathetically. "That's probably a bad idea. We'll be going our separate ways once we're finished. It's probably better that we don't become attached," she said.

He nodded with a smile of acceptance. They were having a great time, why spoil it in attempting to get to know each other when they'll undoubtedly go their separate ways on their new upcoming assignments. This could never develop into anything more than it was, which was a night of passion, lust, and mutual attraction.

"You're right. Besides, pillow talk isn't my specialty anyway," he declared as they continued their stare.

"Oh, what is then?" she asked seductively.

"I'll show you," he replied as they moved to kiss once more.

* * *

**The next day**

Chuck and Zondra woke up in bed together after an explosive night of passion. The soldier and the dark-haired spy were both awake, and they were gazing at each other from where they lay.

"Good night?" she asked him.

He chuckled. "Great night!" he declared.

"Me too. And you were right. It was the best night of my life. But... I don't do relationships," she stated.

He smiled. "Me neither, Zondra. I have a shaky history with long term commitments," he admitted.

She smiled. "One for the road?" she asked as they held their gaze.

He nodded. "Sure, why not. Then I'll drive you to your place in D.C."

"You don't have to," she replied.

"Yes, I do. I already made the invitation yesterday, but now I _have_ to after the night you've just given me," he chuckled, and she shared the laughter with him before they quickly entered first base once more.

* * *

**Later that morning**

"Wow, nice wheels," Zondra declared as she entered inside Chuck's Lexus GS S190.

Chuck grinned. "Thanks. I bought it a year ago. What do you ride?" he asked.

"Suzuki GS-R600," she said.

A grin of amazement formed on Chuck's face. "Wow, I truly have never met a woman quite like you before, Zondra," he said in amazement.

Zondra smirked. "I'm one of a kind," she declared.

Chuck nodded in vigorous agreement of that declaration as he fired up the engine, and they departed for Washington, D.C.

**Six hours later**

Chuck pulled to a stop outside Zondra's apartment in the capital.

"Well, here we are then," Chuck said.

"Fancy coming in and staying the night?" she offered.

Chuck grimaced briefly. Zondra was right in what she said to him the previous night. It _was_ better that they didn't get attached. "I'm not sure," he said apprehensively.

She smiled at him. "Come on. My assignment starts tomorrow. I would feel bad if you did twelve hours driving in one go. Why have one night when we can have two? We can say goodbye in style," she encouraged him.

He took the briefest of seconds to think before a wide grin formed. "Screw it. My new assignment begins on Monday. I'd kind of like a final weekend of fun too," he stated.

Zondra nodded in firm agreement as they began to kiss inside of his car for a minute before they departed the car, and he locked it as he followed Zondra up and inside her apartment...

**End of Chapter**

**AN2** What Chuck and Zondra have just had was a weekend of fun and nothing more. The next time they will meet again will be many chapters from now. And I'm quite sure that Chuck's situation will have changed by then. Actually, it absolutely will have! And I predict that Chuck will have some explaining to do even though he has done nothing wrong because he was a single guy (the explaining will be because of the whole traitor thing, obviously).

**AN3** The next chapter is upload day. And I will be very interested to see reviews so that I can gouge to see if there are any potential Chuck/Zondra readers present. It would certainly give me ideas for future stories because I have nothing against it. The only stories that I can't read are those containing Jill, Lou, Hannah, Bryce, Shaw, and Cole. I'm completely fine with Chuck/Zondra Chuck/Carina stories.


	5. The Soldier vs the Intersect

**AN1 **Rest in Peace, Kobe Bryant, his daughter, Gigi, and everybody else who lost their lives in the helicopter crash a few days ago :( So sad.

* * *

**The Spy and the Soldier**

**Chapter Five, The Soldier vs. the Intersect**

* * *

**Fort Bragg**

**United States**

"Remember what I said the other day, Chuck."

Chuck glanced at Morgan, who was gazing at Sarah. She was waiting slightly out of reach from where the two officers and best friends were stood outside of their housing on base as Chuck prepared to depart to begin his new assignment with the CIA and NSA.

"Morgan, as I said to you the other day, I didn't take this assignment for romance. But, thank you for being so concerned about my love life," Chuck joked with a grin.

Morgan suppressed laughter and nodded. "I'll miss you, Chuck."

Chuck half-smiled as his face began to flush in sadness because he is about to be disconnected from his unit and his best friend for an indefinite period, and he was sure that he would excruciatingly miss this life for however long he would be gone from it. "I'll miss you too, buddy. But it's just for a few years; then we'll be back in the same outfit."

Morgan smiled. "Yeah, if you don't go and get shot, Chuck," he joked.

Chuck laughed. "The same applies to you. We've done everything together for six years, Morgan."

Morgan nodded. "We have, Chuck. We have so many memories together, buddy."

"Yeah..." Chuck agreed as he dipped his mind into his memory bank of all of the moments he had spent with his best friend from their time at basic training, to their time at Ranger school, to their deployments with the Rangers, to the time when they were both awarded their Distinguished Service Crosses together. Ninety-nine percent of Chuck's life for the past six years had been shared with the guy he's gazing at, and he is feeling quite emotional that they are now to depart on separate paths for several years. However, he was sure beyond all doubt that they would meet again, and arguably quite often on whatever joint operations that may arise from his new assignment where a special forces team would be required.

He breathed out a long sigh to control his emotions, and he decided to say his final farewells to his best friend and comrade on a happier note instead.

**"R**ecognizing that I volunteered as a Ranger, fully knowing the hazards of my chosen profession, I will always endeavor to uphold the prestige, honor, and high esprit de corps of my Ranger Regiment!"

Morgan smiled before immediately taking over the reciting.

**"A**cknowledging the fact that a Ranger is a more elite soldier who arrives at the cutting edge of battle by land, sea, or air, I accept the fact that as a Ranger my country expects me to move further, faster and fight harder than any other soldier!"

Chuck grinned as he continued the reciting of something that would be forever lodged into his memory for the rest of his life.

**"N**ever shall I fail my comrades. I will always keep myself mentally alert, physically strong and morally straight, and I will shoulder more than my share of the task whatever it may be. One-hundred-percent and then some!"

Morgan continued.

**"G**allantly will I show the world that I am a specially selected and well-trained soldier. My courtesy to superior officers, neatness of dress, and care of equipment shall set the example for others to follow!"

It was Chuck's turn.

"**E**nergetically will I meet the enemies of my country. I shall defeat them on the field of battle, for I am better trained and will fight with all my might. Surrender is not a Ranger word. I will never leave a fallen comrade to fall into the hands of the enemy and under no circumstances will I ever embarrass my country!"

Morgan finished.

"**R**eadily will I display the intestinal fortitude required to fight on to the Ranger objective and complete the mission though I be the lone survivor!"

"RANGERS LEAD THE WAY!" they then said in unison as the best friends moved to embrace.

"Goodbye, Morgan. Take care," Chuck said as they pulled apart.

Morgan grinned. "Goodbye, Chuck. Remember to stay in contact with me whenever you can."

Chuck nodded. "Of course, I will. I'd better go because we're keeping Sarah waiting, and if we're late, then I'll have my new boss down my ear again."

Morgan nodded as Chuck offered his hand out, and Morgan shook it. Chuck gazed at his best friend one final time before picking up his large rucksack containing his general belongings that was placed on the floor, and he then turned away from Morgan, and he walked over to where Sarah was waiting for him near to her car. Arriving in her vicinity, he smiled at her, and she smiled back at him.

"What were you reciting just then?" she asked.

"The Ranger Creed," he said with a grin.

Holding her smile at him, she turned away as she moved to enter the driver's side of her car. Chuck then proceeded to place his bag into the boot of her car, which Sarah had already opened for him, and he closed the boot, and he walked around to the passenger side, and he entered inside the car.

"What will happen to your accommodation, Chuck? Sarah asked.

Chuck glanced at Sarah next to him as he moved to fix his seat-belt into place. "It will be maintained. I'm only on secondment away from the outfit. I'm still a serving service member," Chuck informed her.

Sarah smiled. "So we won't be working permanently together then?" she joked, holding her smile.

He grinned. "Highly unlikely."

"Ready to begin your new life?" she asked.

He nodded. "Let's dance."

Sarah nodded as she fired up the engine of her car, and she began to drive away from Chuck's accommodation.

"Nice car, by the way," Chuck said.

She gazed warmly at him. "Thanks. You have a nice car too. I noticed it in the driveway."

Chuck returned her warm gaze. "Thank you."

"What will happen to it?" she asked.

"That's an excellent question actually because I'm not sure what will happen to it. I guess I'll have to wait and see how the arrangement of this new assignment plays out first," he said.

Sarah smiled. "Well, if you need a lift to pick it up, then I can bring you," she offered.

He grinned as he gazed at her. "Thank you. But I wouldn't want you to make a ten to twelve-hour drive for me. I've made a few of those in recent days, and I know what it's like."

"I wouldn't mind. I don't exactly have much going on with my life. I have nothing but free time when not working," she said.

"Wow, I'm surprised at that. You are gorgeous, and I'd have thought men would be all over you to eat up your free time," he said as he continued to gaze at her.

Sarah began to blush, and she broke eye contact from him.

"I'm sorry. That was rude. It's none of my business."

She made eye contact with him again. "Chuck, it's ok. But seeing as though you've kind of inquired about me, I guess I should do the same to you to make us even because I'm now curious if there will be a girlfriend, a fiancee or a wife that you have to leave behind to begin this assignment because it would be highly classified and you wouldn't be able to tell them a thing about it nor see them much."

"I see, well, in that case, it's a no to any of the aforementioned. I'm single too," he said.

"Wow, I'm surprised," she said as they gazed at each other again.

"Why?" he queried.

"Well, because you're a lot more confident than I remember you being at school. You now seem to have a confident swagger about you," she said.

He grinned. "Two years of the most intense training you could imagine, countless drill instructors screaming at you, and being around all of my comrades believing and trusting in me as a person for six years does that to you."

She laughed. "Yeah, I can imagine. But it's not a bad thing, by the way. I wasn't insulting you when I said it."

His warm gaze continued towards her. "I know," he replied. "So, did you drive here this morning?"

She shook her head. "No. I did half of the drive last night, and I stayed overnight at a motel in Fayetteville. I didn't want to be exhausted because it's going to be a very long day today."

Chuck nodded. "That was a smart idea."

-O-o-O-o-O-o-O-

**On-route to D.C.**

"So, Chuck, what have you been up to since we saw each other at the briefing five days ago?" Sarah asked as she glanced at Chuck briefly before she concentrated on driving the car once more.

"Oh, this and that, you know?" he said with a smirk.

She gazed at him again. "Can't or won't tell me?" she asked.

"I can't tell you, Sarah, it's classified," he said.

She smiled in acceptance.

"What about you?" he then asked.

"Me too. This and that," she said.

"Can't or won't tell me?" he asked with a grin.

"Won't," she laughed.

He chuckled along with her. "Fair enough."

"I have been waiting to ask you something for a few days, Chuck."

"Sure?" he replied.

"What made you join the military? I read through your file. You could have done anything with your life. So why the army?" she asked as she afforded him a brief gaze before she concentrated on driving again.

"I joined primarily because of 9/11. I couldn't sit back and focus on a civilian career, while tens of thousands of Americans signed up and put their lives on the line to protect me. That thought just didn't sit well with me, so then and there I decided that I had a strong obligation to join up along with all of the others that would surely sign up too. My sister tried to get me to do other things and to follow my dreams and aspirations that I had when I first began my degree, but I just couldn't do it, you know?"

Sarah gazed warmly at him, and she nodded. "Yeah, I read about your sister."

"Family wise, she's all I have really," he said with a weak smile.

She glanced at him once more. "Chuck, I know that feeling."

He nodded. "Though I have a question of my own to ask you, actually," he said.

"Sure?" she said.

"Your file says you knew Bryce Larkin?" he asked.

Sarah glanced at him to query his question. Bryce was a sore topic for Sarah, and if she wasn't comfortable talking about him with Carina, she certainly wasn't comfortable talking about him with Chuck, who was almost a stranger to her.

"Uh-huh. He was my partner," she said eventually.

"Was he just a partner? Or were you guys anything more?" he asked as he gazed at her.

Sarah immediately shot Chuck a distasteful glare. "Chuck, who I may or may not have dated, isn't any of your business! I don't want to sound harsh, but that is a _very_ personal question that you have just asked me, and I don't appreciate it. Any professional detail you wish to know about me, I can tell you. But my private life is off-limits."

Chuck shot his hands into the air in apology. "You're right. I'm sorry. It was very rude. It's just that I have a bit of personal history with him too. We were roommates at Stanford. But I won't talk about him anymore," he said.

Sarah glanced at him once more, and he smiled apologetically at her before she continued driving.

-O-o-O-o-O-o-O-

**Washington D.C.**

Sarah pulled her Porsche to a stop outside the secure location housing the Intersect.

"Well, here we are," she declared as she turned to glance at her new partner.

Chuck nodded.

"You're really brave to do this, Chuck. I'm not sure if I could willingly allow a supercomputer to be uploaded to my brain if I was the first candidate to have it done. I hope nothing will go wrong with the upload," she said with a sincere smile.

"Me too," he agreed.

"Are you nervous?" she asked as she held her gaze towards him.

"A little," he replied.

She smiled at him.

"Let's hope the scientists knew what they were doing when building and preparing it for the first upload," he said.

She nodded.

Sarah then departed the car with Chuck, and they joined up with Casey, who was already waiting for them a short walk away from the main entrance.

"Walker, Bartowski," Casey said on them, coming to a stop in his proximity.

"Casey," they said in unison.

Sarah then began to walk with her two new partners in the direction of the entrance to the facility where Director Graham and General Beckman, along with several analysts and doctors were stood awaiting their arrival.

"Captain Bartowski," General Beckman greeted Chuck warmly on the three partners coming to a stop at the small posse's location.

"Ma'am," Chuck replied with a nod.

"If you're finished with traipsing through the jungles of Colombia playing the hero, Chuck, then let's get on with the real assignment," Director Graham stated with distaste as he then turned back towards the entrance door, but he stopped once Chuck began talking.

"You can talk! You told me the Intersect is quite safe for upload. But if you've not uploaded it before, then you wouldn't know if it's safe or not, so I know that I'm your test subject today! My brain might be about to fry, so I would appreciate a little more respect shown towards me right now instead of getting on my case about a mission that I was part of while still attached to my unit!" Chuck argued back.

Sarah frowned as she rotated her glance between her boss and her new partner, who were both giving each other distasteful stares while everybody else remained silent in shock. _That is an awful lot of 'this and that.' I guess the life of a tier-one operator has its moments_

General Beckman, Director Graham, and the NSA and CIA analysts then entered inside the building, and Sarah followed on after with her two new partners.

"What was that all about, Chuck?" Sarah asked in a quiet tone while gazing at him.

"Don't ask," Chuck replied with a shake of his head as he gazed at Sarah and Casey.

Sarah smiled, and she heard Casey grunt in response, and she and her partners continued following the director, the general, and the analysts for a few minutes until the posse came to a stop.

"Well, here we are. The Intersect is behind this door, and it is where the upload will now take place," General Beckman said.

Chuck nodded as Director Graham opened the door, and Sarah and the rest of the posse entered inside the large room. In Sarah's view was a large white room with bright lights and a computer towards the end of the room with a medical chair in its vicinity with numerous monitoring devices all around its location.

Sarah followed as Director Graham led the small posse to the location of the computer.

"If you'd like to make yourself comfortable, Captain Bartowski, then we'll get started right away," General Beckman said.

Chuck nodded as he moved to take a seat on the medical chair opposite the computer.

"We'll leave the analysts to explain the process. Major Casey, Agent Walker, the upload will take several hours. Inside of this room, many images will be shown, but they are harmless and irrelevant, and they are the images that the Captain will be having uploaded," Director Graham said.

Sarah nodded.

"As the Director said, you will be seeing thousands of images today, Captain Bartowski. We have encoded all of our data into the images, and the information will be fed over to your subconsciousness while you are sedated," an NSA worker said to Chuck.

The analysts then continued explaining the process of the upload for several minutes while attaching the necessary devices onto Chuck, and Sarah continued to observe the procedure.

"Guy's a hero," Casey said in a quiet tone, and Sarah averted her glance away from Chuck and to Casey stood next to her instead. "I read his file. He's served our country with distinction. But this might be his bravest act. I'm not sure I'd allow my brain to be used as a guinea pig."

"I agree, Casey," Sarah said.

Sarah then continued to watch the medical process continue to play out as the analysts prepared Chuck for the upload.

**A few minutes later**

The analysts had now connected the numerous devices and electrodes onto Chuck's head that would be required for the upload to take place.

"Captain Bartowski is prepared. All that is left is his confirmation to begin, and then we will proceed with the sedative and begin the process," an NSA doctor said.

Sarah watched as Director Graham retrieved a device from his pocket.

"Very well. Here is the cipher needed to begin the upload, and when the Captain is ready, then we'll begin."

Chuck took a breath of air for a long moment to compose himself for the upload to begin. "I'm ready," he eventually said.

Sarah smiled comfortingly at Chuck from where he was arched back on the medical chair.

"We'll see you on the other side, Bartowski," Casey said with a nod.

Chuck nodded.

Graham then handed over the cipher to one of the analysts surrounding Chuck.

Sarah watched on as the analyst then began to type into the computer as the NSA doctor applied the sedative to Chuck.

"If you would like to count backward from one-hundred, Captain Bartowski," the doctor said.

"One hundred," he said groggily.

"Ninety-nine."

"Ninety-eight."

"Ninety-seven," he whispered drowsily.

"Ninety-six," he finished as he lost consciousness.

The posse paused in wait for several seconds as the three doctors that were present began to check Chuck's vital signs.

"The anesthesia has applied. The Captain is now sedated, and we're ready to begin to process," a doctor said.

The analyst at the computer nodded as he inserted the cipher, and the upload officially commenced.

"We will now move to the observation room in wait," Director Graham said.

General Beckman nodded as the Director and the General began walking away, and Sarah followed on along with Casey.

-O-o-O-o-O-o-O-

Sarah was in the observation room, and she was standing idle in a part of the room with Director Graham stood in her immediate vicinity. Major Casey and General Beckman were in another corner of the room, and they were engaging in a conversation.

"I'm worried about this partnership, Director. Casey's a burnout," Sarah said as she glanced over to the location of Casey briefly, before fixing her gaze back at her boss.

Graham nodded. "He's a killer, Sarah. Cold school. I want you to listen to me," he paused. "You can't let Casey control Chuck. They're both military, so they'll have a powerful bond with each other, and you will be the outsider of the team. So you are going to have to do _whatever_ it takes to keep the asset under our control."

Sarah frowned as she continued to stare at Graham. "Asset? You said at the briefing a few days ago that he would become my partner?"

"In technical terms, he is your partner. And he won't react well if you attempt to treat him as an asset because he's special forces and an officer in the United States Military, so you'll have to be very careful in how you do it. But I am going to need you to keep him under control, Sarah, because we've invested too much time and effort into this project to let him or the NSA do whatever the hell they want on it. I know these soldier boys, Sarah," the Director said.

Sarah blinked as she continued her expressionless stare at her boss. "So what are my exact orders?" she asked.

"As I said, Sarah, use _whatever_ means at your disposal to keep him in line and away from the NSA. He will be staying with you. A cover will be arranged for you both as boyfriend and girlfriend."

"I don't like playing him as a mark or an asset. He's a Captain in Delta Force. And he will be assigned temporary agent status while he is on the assignment, so it is an entirely different situation to him being an asset of mine. He won't react very well to any kind of seduction, I'm sure of it," Sarah argued and gave her professional opinion of the assignment.

"Sarah, he's now the most important intelligence asset in the United States and the entire world! If Chuck should fall into the wrong hands, the damage to our country would be catastrophic. It's your job not to let that happen. And I will repeat your objective one final time because I'm getting tired of stating it; by any means necessary to keep him as your guy," the Director said before he began to walk away to another location in the observation room.

Sarah began to inhale a deep breath of air as she glanced at the back of her boss as he walked away from her...

-O-o-O-o-O-o-O-

**A few hours later**

The upload had now completed, and the posse of CIA and NSA personnel had all returned to the upload room.

"He should be coming to his senses any moment with the sedative now worn off," an NSA doctor said.

"That's good. And the upload?" Director Graham asked.

"The upload was a success, and initial indications are that the upload seems to have caused him no damage," another doctor said.

"That is good news," General Beckman said.

"Amen," Casey muttered.

Sarah began to glance at her new partner, who was still on the medical chair, and she paused in wait for several minutes as Chuck began to come to. A few minutes later, she observed as he groaned in a complaint, and he fought his disorientation from the anesthetic and likely the upload too.

"Where am I?" he muttered gingerly.

"You're at the upload location of the Intersect, Captain Bartowski. The upload was a success," General Beckman said.

Chuck moaned groggily as he raised a hand to his forehead. "Head… hurts… Can see lots of images," he complained.

"What type of images?" Director Graham asked.

"Warplanes, blueprints, buildings, maps," Chuck said.

Sarah watched as most of the CIA and NSA personnel began to grin with relief.

"That's great news. We will now need to run some further tests," Graham said.

"Tired. Must sleep," Chuck complained.

"The tests won't take long, Captain Bartowski. We understand how exhausted you must feel, and we won't keep you long," General Beckman said.

**A short while later**

The initial post upload tests had now completed for the day. It was almost midnight, and most of the people inside of the room were very tired, nevermind how exhausted Chuck must be feeling. Sarah was feeling very sympathetic towards the condition of her new partner.

"For the next week, we'll be running many additional tests to see the functioning of the Intersect and to see any effects that it may have on you," General Beckman said.

"We will also have your NSA, and CIA status confirmed, and you'll receive your relevant credentials. We'll see you back here tomorrow, Chuck," Graham said.

"Where will he be staying tonight?" Casey inquired.

General Beckman was about to speak, but Graham quickly interrupted her before she could. "He'll stay with Agent Walker for now."

Sarah glanced at Chuck, and Director Graham's words barely registered with him. He looked exhausted and completely out of energy, and Sarah estimated that he was a few minutes away from collapsing on the spot. Frankly, she was surprised he was still standing. She couldn't imagine what it was like to have a supercomputer uploaded and absorbed into your brain.

The small posse then began to depart the facility. Arriving outside in the open air a few minutes later, the three partners began to head to their transports together. While at the same time, Beckman and Graham remained behind to enter into conversation together.

Sarah arrived at her Porsche with Chuck and Casey a minute later.

"You're looking pretty out of it there, Bartowski. Walker, are you sure you can handle looking after and protecting your boy toy here, tonight?" Casey asked with a smirk as he shifted his glance between Sarah and Chuck.

Sarah glared at Casey for his remarks. "Casey, I am a CIA agent, and he's a Delta Force operator. We can handle ourselves. It would be suspicious if you came to stay with us," she said.

Chuck nodded. "It would be very suspicious. Because I'm not into men," he joked.

Sarah smirked for a long moment as she shifted her gaze between her partners.

"Very funny, Bartowski. For that, I have suddenly lost interest in protecting you. I'll see you both tomorrow. You two are on your own," Casey said, and he immediately began walking off away from them.

"Goodbye to you too, Casey!" Chuck shouted after him, but Casey didn't turn back to look at them.

Sarah suppressed laughter as her gaze became focused entirely on Chuck. "Are you ready then?" she asked.

He nodded. "Yeah. I'll probably crash out in your car," he said as he grinned at her.

She smiled as she continued her gaze. "You'd better not. Because you're too muscular to carry, and I don't feel like sleeping in it too, and I would have to because it's my job to shadow you now."

"Heh," he chuckled.

Sarah continued her warm gaze as she moved to enter into her car, and Chuck followed her inside.

"Well, Sarah, if your boss is so insistent on us sleeping together, I at least hope your hotel is a nice and luxurious one," Chuck joked.

Sarah smirked. "Our boss now," she stated.

Chuck sighed. "God help me," he said as he shook his head.

"He's not so bad. If you show him respect and follow what he sets out to you."

"Sarah, he strikes me as conniving and very deceitful," Chuck said.

She smiled at him. "Oh, he is. But being the director of the CIA, one would argue you have to be."

Chuck nodded. "Fair point. I guess I'm going to need a lot of adjusting to how things are done here."

Sarah held her smile toward him for a short moment before firing the ignition, and the partners departed for the hotel.

-O-o-O-o-O-o-O-

Sarah entered inside the hotel room that she'd been staying at for the past couple of weeks, and Chuck followed in after her. She heard him close the door behind them, and on doing so, she turned around to face him, and she watched as he placed down his large rucksack onto the floor of the room.

"Well, here we are," she said, gazing at him.

He then began to glance around the room for a short moment before he fixed his gaze onto her. "It'll do," he said.

She smiled as she held her gaze, and a brief silence ensued, which quickly turned awkward for them both, and to add to it, they both attempted to speak at the same time.

"You go first," he said.

She nodded. "I was going to ask if you were hungry. I could order room service?" she suggested.

He nodded and sported her a loving grin. "Yeah. I guess you are too unless you ate while I was sedated."

She shook her head as she held her smile. "I didn't. What would you like?"

"Oh, Sarah, I will eat anything, I can assure you. Surprise me. I am too exhausted to think," he said.

She held her smile, and she nodded. "Ok."

Chuck began to take off his shoes before he moved to lay on the bed while Sarah spent the next few minutes ordering room service before returning to his presence. Gazing at where Chuck was now lying on the bed, she noted as he appeared to be soundly unconscious, and a smile pursed through her lips on how quickly her new partner had passed out in addition to just how peaceful he looked when he was sleeping.

Room service arrived a short while later, and Sarah contemplated waking him up so that he could eat the cheeseburger she had ordered for him. However, she opted to leave him in peace, and she spent the next few minutes eating her medium-rare cheeseburger with extra pickles before gathering her nightwear from her suitcase as she then departed for the bathroom in their now shared hotel room. As soon as she entered the bathroom, a sudden rush of anxiety hit her incase he woke up and decided for whatever reason that he needed to use the room that she would be naked inside of the shower in. But that situation was just something that they would now need to learn to live with, with them now being partners and after Graham telling her under no uncertain terms just what her assignment with Chuck would entail. Shaking aside her feeling of dread of him seeing her in the shower, she began to undress before entering into the walk-in shower. She turned on the water, and it quickly heated up, and Sarah started to freshen herself up after a very long day.

Departing the shower a short while later, she dried herself down, and she changed into her nightwear before leaving for the main room once more. Arriving in the main room of the hotel room, she gazed at Chuck; he was still sleeping peacefully.

_Should I sleep on the sofa? I know Graham told me what our cover is. But we can fake it in public. We don't have to fake it or change who we really are inside this room_

Sarah spent the next minute gazing at Chuck from where she stood before she began to walk towards the bed. Breathing out a long sigh over the situation she had now been placed in on this assignment, she lifted the covers back on her side of the bed, and she moved to climb into the bed. Placing the sheets over her, she turned away with her back facing Chuck, and she gazed at the wall for a long while until sleep overcame her.

* * *

**AN2** So then, we are five chapters in. Thoughts on the story so far? Please leave a review. I will stress that this will be an eighty to one-hundred chapter story, so if you have any comment to share about the story so far, good or bad then do reach out and share those thoughts because it's the interaction whether it's good or constructive that gives me the drive and motivation to keep the chapters coming. And I will need that drive throughout the whole of this story, that's for sure.

**AN3** I suck at detailing medical procedures, especially fantasy ones! I just wanted the upload to be over and done with, so I can get on with the story. You won't notice the Intersect is even present too much in this story. It will only be used to begin missions or flashes that will occur in the middle of a mission to provide any necessary information, which is why the process of the upload in this chapter was threadbare and not overly complicated. I also changed the upload process to a more 'realistic' version too. All of the images seen on the screens are irrelevant in this fiction because they would be irrelevant in real life also. What I mean by that is that the upload in this story could only occur with the correct devices connected to Chuck, and not by just looking at a monitor because that is highly ridiculous, and if the Intersect were truly a reality, then an upload to somebody's brain would happen exactly like this. It would _have_ to be a medical procedure.

**AN4** Next Chapter: I'm afraid I can't tease what will happen next chapter. Because then that would spoil it, so I don't want to do that :)


	6. The Soldier vs the Intersect: Part Two

**AN1 **Hi there. I had to take a break from this fiction. There wasn't enough expressed interest for me to continue this story at the time, so I went to do other things for a short while, and then the coronavirus hit, which I now think I had. If I did get the virus, then thankfully, my symptoms were mild, which is why I can't be 100% sure if it was that or not, because I didn't take a test. However, I certainly had corona like symptoms for at least two weeks. I even lost my sense of taste and smell, and at the time, they weren't widely known as corona like symptoms, which is what had me believe it was an unrelated illness at the time...

Anyway, moving on, I am back with more Spy and Soldier, because I won't abandon my stuff without giving it enough chances to be read. So, if you do wish to continue to read this story, then you know what to do.

* * *

**The Spy and the Soldier**

**Chapter Six, The Soldier vs. the Intersect: Part Two**

* * *

**Washington D.C.**

**One day since the upload**

It was just after 8am when Sarah began to wake. Opening her eyes inside the bed she was laying in, she turned to the right of her to ascertain if the events of the previous day were just one big dream. She confirmed it wasn't, as Chuck, the shy but cute junior from her school, but now Tier One Delta Force operator, was still sleeping next to her.

Puffing out a sigh over the situation she now found herself in on her new assignment, she turned to look to the left of her to glance at the clock.

Having obtained the time, Sarah reluctantly climbed out of bed, and she headed for the bathroom to start her morning routine.

Departing the bathroom sometime later, she glanced at Chuck, and he was still sleeping, and he hadn't moved an inch since he had passed out just after midnight.

_Should I wake him up? We have work to do today. But I don't know what time Graham will call us in. It might not be for a few more hours, but it could also be at any moment_

Sarah paused in the spot she stood as she entered into deep thought. Every morning without fail, Sarah would always go for a run to start her day. She couldn't do that anymore, unless he now went along with her, because it was now her job to shadow and protect him, at all times, for the duration of the assignment. She sure as hell hoped that her new partner loved running, because she couldn't imagine having to go up to three years without doing it, that thought was quite sobering for her...

Now feeling depressed from her new situation, she spent the next few minutes ordering breakfast for two via room service.

Breakfast arrived a short while later, but Chuck continued to sleep through the noise of the breakfast tray passing over to Sarah.

Once more, Sarah contemplated waking him up. But with the procedure of him uploading a supercomputer to his brain, in addition to the anesthetic he had been given, she quickly came to the decision that he would need as much sleep as he could possibly get, so she left him in peace and she began to consume her breakfast...

**Two hours later**

Chuck was still sleeping, and Sarah was still inside of the hotel room, and she was now scratching her hair out in sheer and complete boredom. Sarah, at this exact moment, had never felt more bored in her entire life, and if this was just the first day, then god help how she would feel for the next three years on this assignment. After everything that had happened with her partnership with Bryce, with his infidelity towards her for three years, the last thing that Sarah wanted on this assignment was an objective where she would have to become intimately close to her partner, but that was precisely what Graham had now ordered her to do with Chuck, and she did not like it. However, while this assignment would undoubtedly play on her mind at times over the coming years, it was still better than falling in love with somebody who didn't love her, and hurting so deep inside whenever Sarah had uncovered his latest adventures with another woman. In fact, Sarah would go as far as to say that this assignment was paradise compared to how she had been living with Bryce for the past few years, and so, she would quite simply need to learn to suck it up.

Sarah was suddenly distracted from her thoughts when her phone began to ring. She moved to place the device into the palm of her hand, and she quickly ascertained that it was her boss calling her. Breathing out a short sigh, she answered the call. She didn't get a chance to speak, as Director Graham's absolute authority stopped her from doing so.

"Agent Walker, yourself and the Captain are requested as soon as possible at the same facility that you were at yesterday," the Director demanded.

Sarah frowned. "Immediately? He's still sleeping after the upload, and he hasn't had any breakfast yet," Sarah light protested over the wellbeing of her new partner.

The Director scoffed into the phone conversation for a long moment.

"Sarah, while I appreciate the wellbeing shown towards your new partner, there are far more important and more pressing matters in the world for the CIA to be concerned about other than whether Chuck has eaten his breakfast or not yet. He is not a baby that needs feeding, so if you could be so kind as to wake the Captain up, most ricky tick, and get him here now, then that would be lovely!" the Director said, and with that, he terminated the call.

Puffing out a more drawn out sigh to herself this time, Sarah then walked over to the bed, and she extended out her arm as she began to shake Chuck's body awake.

"Chuck? Wake up, Chuck," she called out.

"Tired," Chuck moaned in a complaint, and he threw the duvet over his head to shield his eyes from the sunlight.

Sarah shook him again, more firmly this time.

"Chuck, wake up," she said in a sharper and more commanding tone.

Chuck begrudgingly, and groggily began to lower the duvet, and his eyes squinted as he accustomed himself to the daylight inside the room.

"The Director requires your attendance," she said, gazing into his drowsy looking eyes.

"I'm hungry as hell," he complained.

She gave him a sympathetic smile. "Chuck, there's no time. I ordered room service for you last night, but you fell asleep. I also ordered breakfast for you this morning, but that's gone to waste too."

"Sorry," he said as he began to rub his eyes with his hands.

Sarah held her smile. "Chuck, it's ok. But we _really_ don't have time. We need to leave," she stressed as she broke her gaze onto him, and she glanced at the main door to exit their now shared hotel room.

"I guess I'm going hungry. Can I at least use the bathroom?" he asked as moved to stand before he collected his personal sidearm and holster from where they had been placed near to the bed the night before.

"Yes. But you'll need to hurry."

**A short while later**

Chuck and Sarah were now on-route to the secure location housing the Intersect, and Sarah was driving them in her car.

She glanced at Chuck with a look of amazement as she drove. "Wow, Chuck, you really slept last night."

He shook his head. "Sarah, not really. It's only 11:30, and we didn't get back until after midnight. I'd been awake for almost 24 hours, I uploaded a supercomputer, and I had a sedative. With all of that considered, I probably could have slept for 18 hours. My head hurts like hell, and I'm starving. I haven't eaten since 5am yesterday," he complained.

"Chuck, I tried my best to help you with that problem," she said.

He sighed. "I know."

Sarah then continued driving for a few minutes, and the new partners entered into silence as Chuck attempted to wake himself when suddenly, Sarah flicked on her indicator, and she pulled off the road, and she parked up outside a row of shops.

"Sarah, what are we doing? I thought the Director wanted us ASAP?" Chuck inquired.

Pointing out of the windscreen, she said, "There's a bakery here. You can purchase some pastries to eat, but you'll need to hurry, and Chuck, I do mean HURRY."

Chuck smiled as he hurriedly unfastened his seatbelt. "Sarah, thank you."

Sarah returned the smile. "Hurry up! Before we both get into trouble!" she encouraged.

Chuck nodded as he quickly departed from the vehicle.

Sarah waited in pause for a few minutes until she observed as Chuck quickly returned to the car.

"Sarah, thank you for this. I have a suspicious feeling that I'll be kept until late tonight again, and I saw no opportunity to eat until at least 10pm tonight, so you have saved my life," he declared as he started to consume the purchased pastries.

She smiled. "And you'll have to save my life by not breathing a word about this to anybody today. I already had him down my ear when I attempted to buy you some time to eat just earlier, and if he finds out that I went against him, he won't be happy."

Chuck paused from eating to gaze at her once more. "Sarah, I won't even open my mouth. I'll let you make an excuse, I promise."

"Thank you."

O-o-O-o-O-o-O

Sarah pulled her car to a stop outside of the secure location housing the Intersect. The two partners quickly departed her vehicle as they were now running late, and they walked at a fast pace towards the entrance where Casey was already waiting.

"What took you so long, Bartowski?" Casey asked once they stopped at his location.

Chuck, remembering what Sarah had said in the car, kept his mouth shut and he let Sarah answer for him.

"It was my fault. I had to stop to use the bathroom," Sarah said.

Chuck kept his mouth completely closed, but on the inside, he was smirking, heavily.

Casey shook his head disapprovingly, and he turned, and he entered the facility, and Chuck and Sarah followed him inside.

Yawning, Chuck said, "You missed out on a good party last night, Case."

Casey snapped his head back to glare at Chuck in disgust, which caused both Chuck and Sarah to smirk.

"So, what does the boss have in store for us today?" Chuck asked.

"Not we. You. And in answer to your question, lots of tests. And hopefully, they'll be painful ones," Casey said.

Chuck winced. "That's not very nice, Case."

"Then stop calling me 'Case,' and maybe you'll get a better answer," Casey said.

"Ok, Case," Chuck replied, causing Casey to grunt, and Sarah to have to fight off her laughter.

The three new partners continued walking through the facility for a few minutes until they came to a stop in the presence of Director Graham.

"That wasn't very ASAP," Graham said as he rotated his glance between Chuck and Sarah.

"I'm sorry. It was my fault. I had to stop to use the bathroom. I wasn't feeling good," Sarah lied.

Director Graham sunk his eyebrows to a frown as he continued to shift his glance between Chuck and Sarah, before shaking his head in displeasure, and he proceeded to open a door, and the three partners followed him inside.

"An MRI scan of your brain will take place today, Chuck, and the rest of the day will then be spent with Intersect related tests as we check its performance. General Beckman is also working on finalizing your new credentials, and they will be ready by this evening. You will assume a cover identity as a one, Charles Carmichael."

Chuck nodded as he followed Graham to a group of NSA and CIA workers.

"I will leave the Captain in your care, doctor," Graham said to the NSA doctor.

The doctor nodded at Graham, and he then smiled at Chuck.

"How are you feeling today, Captain Bartowski?" the doctor asked.

"Aside from a nasty headache, pretty good, I think?" Chuck said.

"Well, we'll be able to give you something for that right now. Aside from that, are you experiencing any memory issues?"

Chuck mused over the NSA doctor's question for a short moment as he began to think of hard to remember events and information that had taken place throughout his life.

"Um, I don't appear to be experiencing any. I can still remember a lot of things that are hard to remember," Chuck said.

"That is good news. So, once the MRI scan has taken place, extensive tests will then take place for most of the day. In the tests, you will be shown many images. Some will be regular images, such as a palm tree. But many will be images related to the Intersect, and we will be testing your retention of the information that was uploaded to you yesterday."

"That sounds fine," Chuck said.

"Great. Then let us begin."

O-o-O-o-O-o-O

"I'm afraid that neither of you will have much work for the next few days. Chuck will be busy for most of the week as a vast number of tests take place to assess the Intersect's performance. Next week, however, that's when your real assignment will begin," Director Graham said to Sarah and Casey as they stood idle while they all observed Chuck's MRI scan taking place.

"Glad to hear it," Casey said.

"You will be based primarily out of Washington. Chuck's cover is that he will be the CEO of a newly formed Private Military Company. The cover is perfect because it will provide your team with the ability to travel worldwide to the locations that the Intersect will undoubtedly send you to on your missions. You will both be board members of the company," the Director paused to let the information sink in. "Casey, you met Chuck during your time in the military together."

Casey nodded.

"And Sarah, you first met Chuck at school together. You had a thing for each other at school and began to date for real once you both left."

Casey grunted, and Sarah glanced at her partner, and he smirked at her, and she averted her gaze away from him in embarrassment.

The Director was about to continue on, but he paused all thought as an NSA analyst almost barged headfirst into him, causing him to frown in distaste.

"Sir, you are wanted immediately at the Intersect computer! It's under a sophisticated cyber-attack!" the analyst shouted in a frenzied state.

"WHAT?!" Director Graham blazed out as he immediately began dashing in a sprint in the direction of the Intersect, and Sarah, Casey, and the analyst quickly followed on behind.

"How could this happen?!" Graham shouted as he sped towards the Intersect.

"We're not sure!" The analyst shouted back as the party of four continued to hurry at speed to the Intersect.

"Then find out, damn it! And get this fixed!" Graham shouted as he arrived at the Intersect, and he entered into the control room, and Sarah, Casey, and the analyst followed him inside.

The chief analyst in charge of the running of the Intersect then approached the small party.

"Sir, there is a sophisticated worm attacking the Intersect! We need more personnel here to fight it!" the lead analyst shouted.

"Then phone in every available personnel in the entire CIA and NSA if that's what it takes! But get this attack under control and find out how the hell it happened!" Graham shouted, and the lead analyst nodded, and he quickly rushed back to the control panel…

**A short while later**

Sarah, Casey, and Graham were still inside of the control room of the Intersect when General Beckman entered the room.

The general quickly linked up with the two agents and the CIA director.

"Langston, what is happening?" General Beckman asked.

"I'm still waiting to find out, Diane. Manoosh, get over here!" Director Graham shouted.

Manoosh Depak, the lead analyst, quickly rushed over to the small party.

"Sir, ma'am, we are struggling to contain the worm attack. We first noticed abnormalities when the cipher was inserted. We thought it was a glitch until the worm activated and it came online. It is highly sophisticated, and we are talking government level sophistication," Manoosh explained.

"Find out who is responsible for this!" Director Graham said.

"We are trying, sir," Manoosh said.

"And fix this!" General Beckman demanded.

"I'm not sure we can," Manoosh admitted, and Director Graham glared at him in response.

O-o-O-o-O-o-O

"Well, the scan has come back completely fine, Captain Bartowski," the NSA doctor said.

"Great," Chuck replied.

"We will now proceed with the rest of today's tests if you're ready?" the lead doctor asked.

Chuck nodded. "I am."

"Very well. If you'd like to follow me?" the doctor said.

Chuck followed the doctor for a minute until they arrived inside a room. The doctor then led Chuck towards a sofa in front of a wall-mounted TV.

"If you'd like to take a seat?" the doctor said.

Chuck nodded, and he moved to take a seat on the sofa.

"We will be showing you many pictures via the television screen now. There will be some trick photographs which bear no relevance to the Intersect, please call out what you see in those, in addition to the authentic pictures also."

"Ok," Chuck said, and the first picture quickly appeared on the screen.

"A dog," Chuck said.

The next picture promptly appeared. "Hippopotamus."

Followed by the next. "Fat guy."

The next picture soon appeared on the screen. "Ugly building."

Followed by another. "Really beautiful woman at the beach."

Followed by another, which was a picture of a flower, and Chuck quickly flashed on the image, and in a short second, Chuck had accessed the information from the Intersect pertaining to what was hidden in the picture. "Cardinal One is the top Moscow spy in the White House," he declared.

Another picture appeared on the television, and it was a picture of a traditional London taxi, but Chuck immediately flashed on the image. "Operation Blackbeard. A CIA capture team intercepted an Iranian nuclear physicist in Istanbul."

The next picture then arrived on screen. "The Los Angeles secret service office intercepted stolen currency plates from the Triads in Operation Eagle Claw."

Followed by the next. "Boris Godunov, a known associate of Carlos the Jackal, was apprehended in Paris."

Followed by another. "Postmaster General intercepts multiple anthrax filled envelopes in Operation Powder Puff."

And another. "Assassin Natasha Fatale is suspected in suspicious deaths of three Japanese computer scientists working in Hong Kong."

Image after image continued to display for the Delta Force operator to analyze for the next hour, while in another part of the government facility, a serious conversation was ongoing.

"Sir, ma'am, the worm is out of control. It's totally out of our depth. The worm is beginning to download the data from the Intersect, and we must physically destroy the computer to force it offline. It's the only way to stop the attack," Manoosh said to General Beckman and Director Graham.

"Over my dead body!" Director Graham said in defiance.

"Depak, is there no other way?" General Beckman asked.

Manoosh shook his head. "No, ma'am. The worm is too sophisticated. If we don't destroy the Intersect at its source and do it quickly, then whoever is doing this will have full access to the entire contents of what Captain Bartowski uploaded just yesterday."

"We have spent years on this project. It has cost a lot of time and money. And now you're telling us that we have to destroy our project?" General Beckman asked in disbelief.

"Madness!" Director Graham blazed out.

Manoosh nodded. "I understand. I've been on this project for years, and to lose years of our work doesn't sit easy with any of us, sir, ma'am, but this worm is out of our capabilities, and it's highly sophisticated. If we don't destroy the Intersect, then somebody is about to steal our entire project to use for their own sinister reasons, which I'm sure that none of us want," he argued.

"Who is responsible for this?" General Beckman asked.

"It's certainly state-sponsored. They have attempted to conceal their signature, but I believe that we'll be able to trace the source," Manoosh said.

Director Graham pointed at Manoosh in anger. "You find out who did this! And when you do, I want their rotten heads served to me on a plate!" he said in anger.

"Yes, sir," Manoosh said in fear.

Sarah and Casey turned to look at each other. Casey then began to mouth, "What now?" and Sarah quickly mouthed back, "I don't know."

The two spies then turned to look at their bosses once more.

"What happens now, General, Director?" Sarah asked.

Beckman and Graham turned to look at their subordinate spies.

"Now, we take Depak's warning as fact, and we destroy a project that has cost us years of time, and lots of money, to prevent it from falling into the wrong hands. And then we will rebuild. But be assured, once we find out who did this, we'll be sending you both to do what you both do best," General Beckman said.

O-o-O-o-O-o-O

**A short while later**

Chuck was still inside the room that was being used for himself and the NSA personnel to analyze his retention capabilities of the Intersect. The process of evaluating the images was still continuing when Chuck and the staff inside the room were alerted to an explosion that had just occurred inside the facility.

Chuck was instantly on his feet, and he quickly rushed out of the room, with the NSA personnel following him out into the hallway where an alarm was blaring throughout the complex. On arrival in the hall, Chuck dashed along it at a rapid pace, and he unholstered his sidearm as he ran in search of the explosion. Exiting the hallway, he entered into another one, and he could see Sarah and Casey at the far end of the hall. They were stood outside of the room housing the Intersect, and smoke was escaping out into the hallway from where a door used to be.

Chuck quickly paced over to his two partners with his sidearm still drawn in his hand, and he came to a stop in their vicinity. "What the hell was that?!" he asked, shifting his glance between the two spies.

"They just blew up the Intersect," Casey declared.

Chuck narrowed his eyes, and he shot his head back in disbelief to query his partner's statement. "Why the hell would they do that?" he asked.

"There was a sophisticated worm attacking the computer, and they were about to have the entire contents of the Intersect stolen, and the lead analyst had the Director blow it up," Sarah informed him.

Casey nodded. "Yeah, and I can tell you right now, Graham is not happy."

Chuck continued to shift his glance between his two partners, and the soldier and spies paused in wait for a short while until Director Graham and General Beckman arrived at their location.

"It looks like you're all that's left of our project, Captain Bartowski. God help us," Director Graham lamented.

Chuck had to bite his tongue to stop himself from snarling at the CIA director's latest sly comment made towards him.

The small posse then entered inside the blown out door that used to house the Intersect, but all that was left of the computer now was smoke, ash, and fire.

"What happens now?" Casey asked, glancing around the small posse.

"Now, we find out who did this, and then you capture or kill them, but preferably kill them," Director Graham said, affording each of the three partners a glance.

The party of five then began to survey the blown-out room for a long moment while the fire alarm continued to bellow out into the facility until the Director broke the pause in their conversation, "WILL SOMEBODY TURN OFF THAT MOTHERFUCKING ALARM?!" he fumed in anger, as he quickly stormed off to another location to find a way to turn off the blasted alarm.

Chuck waited until Director Graham was out of earshot before he turned to face Casey. "You're right, he is angry," he said with a smirk.

Casey grunted while Sarah nodded.

Glancing at Chuck, Beckman said, "The stakes just got a lot higher, Captain Bartowski."

"Yes, ma'am," Chuck said in agreement.

"What does this mean for the Captain's protection moving forward, General?" Casey asked.

"For now, nothing changes. The measures already pre-agreed upon were already stringent, and I do not foresee any additional security enhancements," General Beckman declared.

O-o-O-o-O-o-O

**Washington D.C.**

Lizzie Shafai arrived at a park in the capital. Glancing around the park for a short moment, she finally became satisfied she wasn't followed here. Lizzie then began to walk with purpose over towards a Filipino looking man, who was stood overlooking a pond in the park.

"Why did you request this meeting? You know the protocol for arranging a drop," the man said in an American accent without looking at her.

"You need to abort the attack plans. The Intersect has been destroyed," Lizzie said to the male.

"You're joking!" the male replied, and he broke protocol to turn to glance at her instead.

She shook her head.

"How did that happen?" the man asked.

"I'm not sure," Lizzie declared.

"Then find out!" he said in frustration.

"I'll try. Director Graham is very cautious in revealing much. I can't push too hard in case my cover is blown," Lizzie said.

"I'm not even sure if the plans can be canceled, they are far advanced. It may already be in motion. The attack was for tonight," the man declared.

"Tommy, I hope for our sake that it can, because if the attack has already commenced, then Fulcrum will be attacking an empty facility," Lizzie said.

"God damnit!" Tommy fumed in anger. "Keep me informed."

"I will," Lizzie replied.

The two Fulcrum agents then began to walk away from each other, and Lizzie quickly departed the park to return to her office.

O-o-O-o-O-o-O

Chuck and Sarah arrived back and they entered their hotel room. With the events that transpired culminating in the destruction of the Intersect computer, nobody inside the facility was in the mood for any further testing for today, so Chuck had been dismissed by General Beckman for the day, and the three partners had retired for the evening.

"That pompous ass! I'm growing tired already of his sly comments made towards me at every opportunity!" Chuck declared as he shook his head in frustration, and he ran his hands through his hair.

Sarah smiled comfortingly. "Chuck, I'm sorry. You didn't deserve that."

"It looks like you're all that's left of our project, Captain Bartowski!" Chuck said in a mocking tone of voice, which caused Sarah to suppress a laugh.

"After a long day of testing and the _exhausting_ events of the previous day, I don't need this crap! By the end of this assignment, he will be lucky if I haven't put his face through a wall," he admitted in a wound-up state of mind.

"And then you'll wind up in jail," Sarah declared.

"A small price to pay," Chuck argued.

"You'll also lose your career," she reminded him.

"Ok, now that's too great a price to pay," he said with a grin.

Sarah nodded in agreement as she held her comforting smile.

Chuck puffed out a long sigh. "I guess I'll use the bathroom to cool off!"

"I kind of wanted to use it myself," Sarah admitted.

"Just great! We're already tripping over each other's feet," he stated.

"Chuck, it's not easy for me either. I woke up this morning wanting to go for a jog, but I couldn't because you were unconscious, and it's now my job to go where you go. You're not the only one having to adjust to these circumstances, you know?" she protested.

He nodded in concession. "You're right. For the record, I love my fitness, so you won't be held hostage for too long. I'll probably be too tired for most of this week to engage in any fitness activity. However, by the weekend, I will be engaging in numerous endurance activities, I can assure you."

The two partners shared a warm glance. "That's comforting to know. The thought of potentially going without exercise wasn't sitting well with me," she admitted.

Grinning, he joked, "I can imagine. You wouldn't remain a super-spy for long if you weighed two-hundred plus pounds."

Sarah laughed softly. "No, I wouldn't."

"You probably wouldn't win too many beauty contests either," he stated.

She suppressed laughter. "Now, why would entering into a beauty contest even cross my mind?"

"Um, because you're too beautiful, not too?" he deadpanned with a grin.

Sarah shook her head, and she gave him a warm smile. "You can use the bathroom now."

Chuck frowned briefly. "Are you sure? Because ladies are supposed to go first," he protested.

She nodded. "I'm sure. Because you evidently need to cool down, whereas I don't."

Chuck nodded. "Fair enough. If you insist, then I'll be quick."

"I do," she said.

He nodded once more before he turned away, and Chuck moved over to where his gear was stored, and he collected some loungewear from out of his pack before he proceeded into the bathroom, and he closed the door.

When he returned into the main area of the hotel room sometime later, Sarah was sitting on the bed. She quickly rose to stand, and taking hold of some items of clothing she had already collected, she entered into the bathroom, and she closed the door.

Departing the bathroom sometime later, her gaze connected onto Chuck, who was lazing on the bed.

"I ordered some room service. You might not like it, but seeing as you did the same for me last night, I returned the favor," he said.

"Thank you. And I know. I heard it arrive," she declared.

"Of course you did. I would be disappointed if you hadn't have heard it, though with you taking so long, I thought you'd fallen asleep," he joked, and he quickly began to chuckle as Sarah gave him a brief glare over his comment.

Sarah then consumed the food that Chuck had ordered, while Chuck had already eaten.

Once she had finished eating, Chuck said, "I hope you liked it, I didn't know what to order you. I'll have to start studying what you eat for future reference."

Sarah frowned in surprise. "That's slightly concerning, and also a little intimate and spooky," she admitted with a smile.

He shook his head. "Nope, that's just me being friendly. I don't know about you, but I certainly didn't take this assignment for romance. I promise to keep my hands to myself, and you're safe to get in bed. You have my word as an officer and a gentleman."

"I didn't take the assignment for romance either. In fact, I took it to escape it," she declared.

He nodded.

"Also, if you didn't keep your hands to yourself, you would quickly end up with an injury," she said with a smirk.

"Fair enough," he said nonchalantly.

The new partners shared a warm gaze, and Sarah moved to climb into her side of the bed.

They then entered into silence for several minutes, as they relaxed, and they began to watch the television inside the room.

"Can I admit something?" Chuck asked as he broke the silence, and he turned to gaze at Sarah lying next to him.

"Sure?" she said.

"It feels a bit weird sleeping next to my partner. In my six years of being in the military, I can't say I've ever slept with a teammate before," he joked.

Sarah suppressed a laugh. "It is weird. Especially considering we went to school together," she said.

Chuck nodded emphatically in agreement. "I know, right?"

They shared a warm gaze from where they lay.

"Have you ever had to do it before, as a spy?" he asked.

Holding their gaze, she shook her head in deflection, feeling unwilling to let her new partner know about the situation concerning Bryce, who she had done a lot more than just sleep next to.

Chuck then started to yawn for a short moment. "Sarah, I know it's kind of early, and at the risk of being lousy company for you, I kind of need to sleep. I hope you don't mind?"

Smiling at him, she shook her head. "Spies are taught to sleep whenever we can, because who knows when we'll next be able to," she stated.

He chuckled for a short moment, and he returned her smile. "How peculiar, soldiers are taught the same thing," he said. "If you want to leave the television on, you can. Trust me, I've slept through a lot worse than a television set being left on."

Sarah held her warm glance. "I'm sure you have, but I'm actually tired too," she admitted.

He nodded. "Well, goodnight then," he said softly.

"Goodnight," she replied in the same tone, and they shared a final gaze before they turned away to face opposite sides, and the spy and the soldier soon drifted off into a peaceful slumber.

End of Chapter

**Next Chapter**: The next chapter will be the final period of testing, in addition to moving into their cover, and personal relationships between the three partners will be built upon a little more.

I will try to get the next chapter out quickly, but I can't make promises. I'm working on things behind the scenes right now. Expressed feedback will go a long way to convince me to publish faster, however!


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